


Finding Home in You.

by ur_local_aang_kinnie



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Aang (Avatar)-centric, Air Nomad Genocide (Avatar), Air Nomads (Avatar), Big Brother Zuko (Avatar), Canon Compliant, Found Family, Genocide, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Katara (Avatar)-centric, Language Headcanons, Multi, Nightmares, Reunions, Sleep as a Metaphor, Spirit World, Spirits, Team as Family, Trauma, aang gets a hug, basically every character is either bi or pan, for a lot of stuff, he still kinda feels like shit tho, i'm still deciding what ships i want in here tho so, no beta we die like jet, that might change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:20:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28094550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ur_local_aang_kinnie/pseuds/ur_local_aang_kinnie
Summary: Aang isn't good at talking about his feelings, but he's doing his best.(My first story on here, any advice on how to use this format would be awesome!)
Relationships: Aang & Gyatso (Avatar), Aang & Katara (Avatar), Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Implied), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Suki/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35





	1. 1-The Blackness of Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story on here and I'm super nervous but I hope you guys like it aah!!

Katara was awoken late into the night by a cool gust of wind sent up her back. She groaned quietly, instinctively reaching behind herself to find her boyfriend and wrap his warm, comforting arms around her, but as her hand searched, it found nothing. Katara didn't entirely realize at first, and for sometime she sat there, getting more and more frustrated in her half asleep phase that she couldn't find him, but after maybe a minute she realized he wasn't there. She forced herself to sit up, glancing over to the left to prove this theory, and she was right. She was alone in the bed, the blankets and furs that had been keeping the two of them warm thrown hastily away and wooden door slightly ajar, leaving her alone. Her feet were freezing, she could barely feel them as she looked around in an attempt to force her brain out of its exhausted state. The South Pole was always cold, and as someone born and raised there it didn't bother her too much, but with Aang gone it felt even colder. She sighed quietly, slipping on a pair of moccasins to avoid touching her bare feet to the snow outside, and began walking out to find him. She assumed Aang was awake somewhere outside, but she was still a bit worried. It had been two years since the war ended, the world was finding peace again but she still felt anxious about loosing Aang sometimes. She felt the same about all her friends of course, she still got a bit jittery whenever Aang wore his tattoos proudly about in the world, or when someone recognized someone from their little group in public. Katara was fully aware that there was no danger following her or her friends anymore, that the fire nation was blossoming from an imperialist nightmare into the strong, cultured nation it was always meant to be under the rule of Fire Lord Zuko, but, she supposed, that fear and anxiety that the love of her life would leave one day and never come back, at least not in the form she knows him as, was ingrained in her mind. She hoped it would go away eventually. 

Katara continued walking for a bit, not noticing the pair of sloppy, rushed foot prints leading away from their hut as she glanced around for any other signs of him, deciding her best bet was Appa. It wouldn't be the first time Aang had left her in bed to go see the Sky Bison. She found it a bit annoying, but she understood that as the only two pieces of air nomad culture left in the world, they understood things about each other that Katara never would. It hurt her that she couldn't help Aang when he felt like that, but she had certain things he couldn't help with either. In those times, all they would really do for each other was listen and hope they were doing the right thing. 

As she turned the corner around the village walls towards where she and Aang had made a stable out of ice to keep Appa in while Aang was staying with her, Katara spied Aang through the low windows of the stable. He didn't seem to notice her, his head was tucked into Appa's fur. Katara assumed the younger boy was sleeping. She grinned, continuing to walk around towards the large door they had set up there. It wasn't closed off or anything, mainly because Appa had no reason nor intention to run away, they just wanted him to have some shelter. Katara glanced over at Appa, who was fast asleep, his face buried in his front two arms for warmth. Katara smiled again, reaching over to pet the large animal, who let out a puff of cold air from his nose in response, then she turned her attention over to her boyfriend. 

Aang had matured intensely since she had first pulled his tired body out of the ice when they were both young and innocent. Before either of them had ever fought a fire bender or water-bended properly. Before they met Toph and Suki. Before Zuko joined their side. Before the war was over. It felt like that day had been both so, so long ago and just yesterday. Back then, Aang was a goofy, scared little kid. He was terrified of responsibility and just wanted everyone to get along. Now he was older, stronger both physically and mentally. He had grown into such an incredible, kind, strong man and now, here he was curled up on his sky bison shaking and quivering, coiled up in a way she had only seen him a few times. 

It took her tired brain a moment to register, but he wasn't sleeping; he was crying. His hand was held over his mouth, probably an an attempt not to make too much noise. His eyes were clenched hard, but tears still poured out of them, streaming down onto any surface they could reach. It broke Katara's heart to see him like that, and it was even worse to know that he had decided to come out here instead of waking her up to talk. Aang still didn't seem to have noticed her, so Katara bent down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

"K-Katara...?" Aang choked out, moving his hand away from his face as he looked up at her. His face flushed a deep red with embarrassment and he looked away from her soft blue eyes. "I...uh...I thought you were asleep..." Katara tentatively moved her hand from his shoulder to his back, rubbing his skin gently through his thick coat in an attempt to calm him down. She could feel the dewy leftovers of fallen snow that had melted into the fabric, leaving little wet spots across his clothes. 

"Well," Katara said gently, settling in next to him on Appa. "I had been, but something woke me up, I can't really remember what it was now." She chuckled a little bit, but her laugh died down quickly as she turned back to the pale, uncomfortable looking boy next to her. Aang had just barely grown past her own height and it made him so happy that he could finally kiss her forehead comfortably, but now he looked so small as he practically drowned in the thick fur of his bison. "Did something happen though...? Why are you cr-" Katara was cut off by Aang quickly turning and wrapping his arms around her. His fingers gripped onto the cotton of the shirt she was wearing with desperation, shaking as he sobbed violently into her shirt. Katara was taken aback at first before she gently placed a hand on the back of his head, the other one stayed on his back. She held him close, wishing she could make all of his pain go away, but she hadn't seen him cry this hard in a very long time, possibly ever. The two of them sat there for a long time, but when Aang pulled away from her to wipe his eyes, it still felt like it hadn't been long enough. 

"I'm sorry I just..." He sniffled, looking away with embarrassment. He was fourteen now, almost fifteen! He was the Avatar! He shouldn't be throwing tantrums like a child anymore, he should be able to handle himself! 

Katara could practically read those thoughts running through his head, that angry self-blaming voice that still taunted him for anything and everything that had plagued the back of his mind since before she had even met him. "You have nothing to apologize for, Sweetie," She smiled gently, reaching out and wiping a tear from his face. He looked up at her, his gentle grey eyes surrounded by redness from all the crying he had done. "Did you have another nightmare?" She didn't remove her hand from his face as she waited for an answer. Aang nodded a bit, leaning into her hand lovingly. "I see...Do you want to talk about it?" Katara's voice was quiet and soft. She wanted to protect him and hold him, she wanted to show him off and love him for as long as she could, but she wanted to keep him all to herself too, to make sure nothing ever hurt him again. 

Aang thought about the question for a moment, flashes of his dream coming back to him suddenly and violently. 

_There was fire all around him, an angry flame fueled with hate that surrounded him._

_His friends are all screaming, their little air nomad robes going up in flames as they cried._

_Gyatso stands with the children, trying to usher them out a window in an escape plan he wished he believed in more._

_Skeletons._

_Pain._

_Crying._

_Ash._

Aang closes his eyes again for a few moments to rid the images from his mind, taking a deep breath before shaking his head no. Katara nods in understanding. "Well, is there anything I can do for you?" Katara moved her hand away from his face and down to his hand, taking it firmly in her own, which he reciprocated. Aang was quiet for a moment before smiling, just a bit. 

"Can we go back to bed?" He asked quietly, the grip he held on her hand tightening as he rubbed his thumb against the side of her palm. Katara smiled softly and nodded, leaning forward to plan a kiss on Aang's cheek. Aang flushed a bit, but he smiled back at her. It had been two years since they started dating and he still got butterflies floating around in his stomach whenever she was around. 

The two stood up and left the stable, wishing Appa a good night as they walked off into the snow, their hands still intertwined. 

The next morning, the two lovers were awoken by a bright stream of sunlight bursting through the suddenly open door, and Sokka announcing that it was time for breakfast. He complained as Aang threw off the blankets, revealing Katara cuddled up to him closely, her arms wrapped around his abdomen, with one of his arms around her shoulders. Aang laughed at Sokka's antics and Katara gave her older brother a tired glare before the two of them got out of bed and started getting ready for the day. Katara didn't mention it, but as she looked over at her boyfriend as he carefully shaved his head for the day, his soft features showing no signs of remorse or despair, she was happy his nightmare from the previous night didn't seem to be bothering him to much. 

At least not visibly. 

Once they had gotten ready, the two started their day. They weren't really expected to do many chores anymore now that they both had more important political duties, but neither of them minded helping out with laundry or helping to set up new houses once in a while. So, the two spent the day going about their separate ways, Katara mostly working with her father on new plans to help rebuild and unite all the tribes of the South Pole. Aang, on the other hand, spent his time wandering through the village, helping to solve every day issues, impressing children with his bending tricks, and occasionally glancing at the women's betrothal necklaces for...inspiration...

At the end of the day, as always, the tribe gathered for a feast. Hakoda sat at the head of the table, with each of his children by his side. Aang as close to Katara as he could get, which was really just right around the corner from where she was sitting. Aang's meal was a bit bare, seeing as most of the food was some kind of meat and Aang couldn't eat that, but it didn't bother him too much, he liked being in the Southern Water Tribe all the same. Meals here reminded him of his childhood.

After most people were done with their food and only a few people remained, including Katara, Aang, and Sokka (who had been too busy talking to each other and telling stories to eat very much). The three of them finally got around to eating their food, not bothering to care that the sun was beginning to set. Once they were all done, Aang stood up and grabbed Katara's hand. Sokka was about to groan, but then Aang took his hand too, to which he responded with confusion, but he didn't try to pull his hand away. "Come with me, I want to talk to you two," Aang grinned before turning and beginning to walk towards Sokka's watch tower. The two siblings glanced at each other in confusion, but neither resisted their friend's request. So, they followed him across the village and up the tower. There was a pretty great view from up there, the window at the top allowed for you to see off into the horizon for what felt like miles. The ocean breathed quietly along the shore, going in and out like it really was breathing. 

"What did you want to talk about...?" Katara asked, equally entranced by the waves. Her breathing seemed to follow that of the ocean, her eyes reflecting the waves as the stars and the moon shined down on it. Sokka nodded. 

"Yeah, did you need something?" Sokka's question followed soon after his sister as he glanced between the two water benders, watching their entrancement suspiciously. 

"I was wondering..." Aang smiled over at his friends. "I was wondering if you'd like to get Team Avatar back together again and go to the Southern Air Temple. Together." 


	2. 2-Beyond the Horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gaang is back together, but that doesn't mean that all is well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I may or may not had totally changed the plot I had in mind of this story but u h that's fine i guess?? it'll work out i promise-
> 
> Also this chapter is a tiny bit less Aang-centric but not by much, and dw the next chapter will focus on him pretty heavily.

Katara perked up at Aang's suggestion, a bit of a smile tugging on her lips. She had always found the air temples quite beautiful, and she loved learning about Aang's culture. "I think that sounds lovely, Aang," She smiled a him, placing her hand on her lovers shoulder, squeezing at the muscle just a bit.

"As long as I can bring Suki and Zuko then I'm down," Sokka grinned. He would never admit it, but the older boy had honestly really missed having all of his friends together in one place. Aang smiled back at his friend, nodding in agreement.

"I actually saw Toph a few weeks ago," Aang added, turning his attention back out to the glowing, colorful horizon. "She was doing pretty good, but she seemed like she needed some time off, her metal bending students have really been tiring her out lately."

"Same with Zuko," Sokka stated, crossing his arms as he leaned over the window, staring down at the ground below. "He seemed really tired last time I saw him, he hasn't really taken a break from all of his...Fire Lord business...since we went out to find him mom a while back."

"Well," Katara chimed in after some time of being silent. "Why don't we send out some letters in advance to let them know what we plan on doing, that way we can make sure that everyone knows what's happening, alright?" Sokka and Aang both nodded in agreement. Katara's words seemed to have a universal tone of finality to them, because the three of them all turned and began walking back down the frozen stairs of the watch tower and walking back to their respective homes.

It was about 4 days before all of those who had been asked to attend their little getaway had replied. Suki's reply came first, carried via a small, tired looking bird who did not seem to be enjoying the cold. Her note was short hastily scribbled on a small piece of parchment clearly ripped from a journal of some kind, but clearly an excitable yes. The next letter that came in was from Fire Lord Zuko; sent in on an elaborate scroll attached to a strong, muscular looking hawk. The note on the inside was much less elaborate, but clearly written by Zuko himself rather than a scribe. Zuko's handwriting was stiff and small, looking almost printed. Sokka always thought his handwriting being so perfect was a bit ironic, he didn't think that the scripture matched Zuko's hectic personality, but he knew that the Firebender's tutors had been less than kind to him as a child, drilling the habit of perfect, small and slim handwriting into his brain. Zuko's letter was long, and a bit ramble-y, detailing some of the issues he had been dealing with lately as well as how Mai and Ty Lee and the turtle ducks were doing (he spoke about the animals as though they were his own human children), but in the end, the boy agreed, although he did say he might have to go back early depending on how long they intended on staying (Zuko didn't really mind handing over control of his country to his uncle for a bit, but if it had been more than a week since he had been at the capital doing his job he tended to get a bit antsy). Toph's reply came last, attached to a bird who didn't seem to want to nor know to be a messenger bird. Seriously, it was a miracle that the poor thing found its way out of Gaoling, written by a scribe of course, stating that she would be more than willing to come with them on their journey. 

Aang had been ecstatic when he received the final message, confirming that their trip would begin soon. So, Aang, Katara, and Sokka began to prepare for their trip, packing food for both themselves and Appa, knowing it would probably take a few days to get there since they would have to stop by all of their friends current places of residence to pick them up, but maybe the long flight would be the best part of this adventure. There had been a quiet, unspoken agreement that they all seemed to have that getting to travel around the world together, admiring parts of the four nations that they never would have gotten to see otherwise was one of the better parts of their time trying to save the world, and now that they all had their own duties that wasn't something they got to do very often anymore. Zuko was obviously stuck being the Fire Lord, serving his duty to his country. Sokka and Katara were going back and fourth between the Northern and Southern water tribes, trying to sort out proper communications between the sister tribes. Toph was caught up with her metal bending academy of course, struggling to teach the art to a group of Earthbenders with little to no talent (at least in her eyes, or rather feet?). Suki was on Kyoshi island, working with the Kyoshi warriors to strengthen the defenses of their island and interact with the rest of the world. Aang, of course, was sort of in a constant state of helping people and training the new air acolytes, and although on occasion he would take a break and come visit his girlfriend at her village (as he was now), or go see one of his other friends wherever they were, for the most part he was stuck in Cranefish Town filling out paperwork and attending boring meetings about things that barely mattered and that he didn't care about. Aang, nor really any of his friends, hadn't gotten to do very much besides work in a little over a year and they were all itching to go somewhere. 

"Katara!!" Aang called out for her, running towards the blue eyes girl excitedly, waving the scroll he had just received in the air as he went, using his air bending to ensure that his feet didn't get stuck in the snow. Katara had been talking to someone about what appeared to be construction plans, but upon seeing Aang so excited she polity ushered the person off before turning and jogging over to meet the boy in the middle. "Toph replied to our letter, she said she can come!" Aang's face was lit up with joy and he wrapped his arms around her waist as soon as she was close enough for him too. "We're gonna get to see everyone again, I'm so excited!!" He giggled like a child, giving Katara a peck on the forehead. Katara was glad he was in a better mood that he had been at the beginning of their week, she wasn't sure she could have stomached him seeming so small and upset for any longer than she had that night. 

"That's great, sweetie!" Katara beamed back at him, Aang's joy tended to be contagious like that. "Should we start packing then?"

"I think we should!" He replied, his voice almost slipping into a laugh as he spoke. Katara honestly hadn't seen him this excited about anything in some time, but decidedly it was something she could get used to. In the time that she knew Aang she had come to the conclusion that a smile was his default expression, and that smile didn't always mean he was happy. Most other people wouldn't catch the subtle differences between the expressions, but Katara knew her forever boy well enough to tell exactly how he was feeling at almost all times. 

Katara realized she had just been staring at Aang for some time and he had been staring right back, both of them just grinning like dumbasses at each other. After a moment of realization, they both burst into laughter, not caring that they were standing in the middle of the village and there were at least twenty people walking by. They stood there for what felt like a while, just laughing at each other before Katara looked up at Aang, their giggling beginning to cease. "I'll go start getting ready," she said, still trying to hold back her laughter. Aang nodded, kissing her on the forehead before running off to go tell Sokka, then Appa the good news. Katara watching him run off with a smile before turning around and making her way back to her own home to begin packing. 

The first person on their list to pick up was Suki. Kyoshi Island was the closest to the Southern Water Tribe, so getting her first, then Toph, then Zuko before heading back to The Southern Air Temple made more sense then any other plan that had been suggested. So, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were closing in on Kyoshi island, the silhouette of a girl standing on the beach becoming more clear as they got closer. The early morning sun was low enough that the coolness of the night before still hung in the air, and the bit of fog remaining in the atmosphere made landing a bit difficult, but Appa managed to touchdown on the damp, cool beach without much issue. Momo had been sleeping in Sokka's lap, but the second they landed the Water Tribe boy had sprung up and practically leaped off the bison and towards his girlfriend. The two of them embraced- or rather Sokka embraced Suki and she did her best to ask him to get off of her so that she could breathe. Sokka apologized awkwardly, letting her ago a bit before kissing her on the forehead. "It's really good to see you though, I'm so glad you agreed to come," he smiled, and she smiled back before they both got on the bison's back once more. Suki greeted Aang and Katara, who were both sitting on Appa's head to steer. They waved at her, making a bit of small talk as they waved to the rest of the village before flying off towards Gaoling 

When they arrived at Toph's Metal Bending Academy in Gaoling, the dark haired girl was already sitting on the stairs of the building, looking bored as she bended a chunk of metal into different shapes. The sky was a bright blue, and the afternoon sun was beating down on them harshly. As they got closer, Toph seemed to hear the bison closing in and jumped up with a grin. She tucked the piece of metal she had been bending into her bag before turning back to her friends as they landed on the grass a few yards away from her. "Took you long enough," she grinned, creating a large rock platform in front of the bison and making her way onto his saddle before sending the earth back down to the ground where it had been before. "I've been waiting outside all day," she snickered, greeting each of her friends with a hug. She turned to Aang to do the same, but he seemed to be turned away from her, looking at something Toph couldn't sense from where she was- or maybe wouldn't be able to sense at all.

"Twinkle Toes? You okay? What the fuck are you looking at?" 

"Oh, I-uh..." Aang was startled, looking over at Toph, then back at where he was looking before, although now it seemed he couldn't find it. "I just...uh...I don't know how to explain this but I think I just saw a spirit? Not one I recognize, but..." he continued staring off into the distance, his breathing slow and careful, like he was trying not to be noticed or scare something off. Like he was trying to disappear. "It was definitely there, and I'm pretty sure it needs something from me..."


	3. 3-An Unknown Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang is seeing spirits again-or rather one spirit in particular-and no matter how hard he tries to ignore her, she keeps coming back. Aang is hesitant to bring it up to anyone, but maybe that will change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Aang's inner monologue is,,,, really fun?? Like really fun????

Silences were rare within their friend group. No matter the circumstance, someone always seemed to be asking a question or cracking a joke or telling a story or something, but not right now. No- right now the group of teens seated on the back of a tired bison were still and quiet, leaving a silence so suffocating and uncomfortable that even the bird around them that had been chirping and singing just a moment ago seemed to respect. Right then the only movement was the occasional worried glance between friends, a discussion held only with eyes. They all knew that Aang only ever really had spirits appear only to him when they needed his help or something was wrong. Everyone seemed to consider this for a moment before Katara decided to speak up, moving closer to the front of the saddle so she could talk to her boyfriend easier. "Was...was it a past avatar?" Katara's voice was hesitant. She wasn't exactly the best person to talk to when it came to spirits and things like that, but in the past two years of dating Aang she knew how to communicate with him well, especially when he was upset or distracted.

"No, I don't think so." Aang shook his head, turning around to face her. "The spirit...she looked familiar, but I don't think she was an Avatar. Whenever she appears, she seems kind of far away, though, it's hard to tell," he sighed, taking a deep breathe before allowing his face to go back to it's resting smile. "I'm sure its nothing to worry about, though, lets get flying and we might get to the Fire Nation before things get dark." He reached out his hand towards Katara, running his hand over the side of her cheek before turning back around and letting Appa know they were ready to go with a "Yip, yip". Katara huffed, but didn't push him. She turned back around to face the others, jumping into their conversation a bit as they flew.

Surprisingly, Appa had managed to keep his strength enough that he had been able to carry his friends to the Fire Nation palace, which upon arriving he promptly fell into a deep sleep in the stables, not bothering to have anything to eat before passing out. The sun had long since set, and the sky was dark and cool, the humid air of the Fire Nation becoming cool and refreshing. Zuko came out to greet his friends, holding onto Sokka and Suki a bit longer than the others before letting go. Zuko seemed suspiciously awake considering how late it was, but Aang decided not to mention it. He knew Zuko had struggled with insomnia in the past, and besides, Aang himself was wide awake and his thoughts were still racing with images of that spirit he had seen earlier, who he had also seen a few times on the way there. Still, it was always from a distance, he would glance down and watch her silhouette cut a messy shadow through the ending pink and red fury of the setting sun, or see her silhouette gleaming in the moon light making almost direct eye contact with him before vanishing once more. It had bothered Aang immensely, but he didn't bring it up with any of his friends. This trip was supposed to be a way for them all to get away from the stressful demands and constant eyes that the world had placed on them all since they ended the war. Besides, the others seemed to have already forgotten all about any mention of this mysterious spirit, and honestly Aang preferred it that way. He just wanted a few days, maybe even a week where he could feel like the entire world wasn't constantly relying on him to deal with any possible threat without consideration for the fact that he and his friends were _still_ _just_ _kids_. Aang just wanted some time to feel like, or at least pretend to be a normal teenager. He wanted to spend his time worrying about girls and Pai-Sho and whether or not he would ever be taller than Sokka and Zuko (both of whom still held the fact that they were taller than him quite literally over his head), instead of whether or not loyalists to an imprisoned fascist would try to assassinate his best friend, or whether his girlfriend was safe from the senders of the occasional threatening letters she would receive. 

Or whether anyone would remember his people when he was gone.

Aang grimaced at that last thought, sitting up in bed. Zuko had escorted the group inside and they all had gone back to their designated guest rooms about an hour earlier, and Aang suspected he was probably the only one still awake. Katara laid next to him, her breathing steady and calm, her arm draped over Aang's body in a protective embrace. Aang gently took her wrist and placed it on the bed where he had been laying before. She stirred a bit, groaning quietly at his sudden absence, but she calmed and quickly fell back asleep as he kissed her forehead, silently letting her know that he would come back to her soon. He sighed as he watched her sleep, his heart almost aching with all the love he had for her. He had never cared about someone as much as he cared about her, and it was one of the few things keeping him going anymore. Aang began walking out to the royal garden, a familiar path he often took when he wanted to get away from the world. As he walked, Katara still lingered in his mind, as she always did. After all, Katara was a part of him- or at least it felt like she was. He couldn't imagine ever living in a future where she wasn't a part of him. Aang knew that he would give up anything for her-without question. Loving her came so natural to him. 

On one of the few occasions Sokka and him had discussed their relationships with their partners (not something they spoke of often, even if Sokka completely approved of and accepted that his sister and his best friend were dating, it was still a bit awkward for the two boys to discuss), Sokka had told him how he loved Suki and Zuko. He said that seeing his two partners always felt exciting; an explosion of emotion and love that he couldn't really explain in words. Aang thought about that conversation often. For him, seeing Katara was like a magnet to metal. They were just...drawn to each other. There was no explosion of emotions or sudden jolt of energy. When they were away, he missed her of course, but sometimes he didn't miss her enough for it to bother him. Katara was apart of him, she was always with him and he was always with her. When they were away from each other for a while, then he would feel a slow ache begin to infect his heart like a fungus, rotting him from the inside out, but since she broke him out of the ice the two of them had never been away from each other long enough for Aang to know what it was like for that feeling to infect him completely. He didn't think it was something he really wanted to know. Occasionally, he would wonder if he was loving Katara _wrong_. He knew he did love her, of course he did! There was no question to that, but the way Sokka spoke of his partners was so different from how Aang did, and on long nights like this where Sokka seemed so sure of himself, so comfortable all the time, Aang couldn't help feeling a bit...self conscious. 

"You're still awake?" Aang flinched as his thoughts were interrupted by a voice near the entrance to the garden. Aang suddenly realized that his legs had carried him to the Turtle-Duck pond, and he had been sitting by the water staring at his reflection for who knows how long. He looked up at the voice, recognizing Zuko's piercing golden eyes from a few yards away. This older boy still doesn't seem very tired, but he holds a mellow disposition as he begins walking towards Aang, wearing what Aang had gathered to be his sleeping clothes. 

"I could say the same about you," Aang chuckles after a moment, patting the ground next to him as an invitation for Zuko to sit, which he took. "I couldn't sleep. Too much to think about, I guess..." Zuko raised a brow at the younger boy. 

"What do you mean? You seemed fine earlier." Zuko replied, reaching out and carefully plucking a baby turtle duck from out of the water, holding the creature in his arms with a soft, gentle hand that Aang didn't see the Firelord use often. Aang shrugged awkwardly, staring down at Yue's reflection in the water, it's crescent shape shining down on the two of them and casting a soft light across the garden, just enough for the two boys to see each other easily. 

"It's complicated, I don't really know if you want to hea-" 

"Just tell me." Zuko said, a twinge of annoyance in his voice. "I'm your friend. You do this a lot, you know, pretending nothing is wrong with you when something clearly is." Zuko rolled is eyes, channeling Mai is a way that Aang almost laughed at. 

"You do that too!" Aang said defensively, crossing his arms. "Besides, it's not that big of a deal." Zuko furrowed his brow. 

"If it wasn't a big deal, you would be asleep by now." He said coolly, turning his attention back to the creature in his arms, petting its shell affectionately. Aang couldn't argue with that, sighing quietly in defeat. 

"I...I keep seeing this spirit and I feel like she needs something from me but I haven't been able to figure out what." Zuko raised his brow in a slight bit of interest, but didn't say anything, allowing Aang to continue. "I haven't been able to get a good look at her, but the whole way here she just kept...standing there. In the distance, just...watching me. It was kind of creepy, but she looked sort of...familiar. I don't think she wants to hurt me, but like I said, I haven't really had a chance to say anything to her." 

"Do...do the others know about this...?" Zuko asked, seeming concerned.

"I mentioned it to them when I first saw her, but it hasn't come up since, I don't want to worry them." Aang sighed, looking away from Zuko. Both of them were quiet for a moment before Zuko spoke up again. 

"I don't know much about spirits, but I do know that you should probably tell the others that...she...keeps coming back to you." His voice was stern, but somewhat comforting. Aang felt safe with Zuko, which was pretty ironic considering how long they spent fighting, but now that they were friends Zuko felt secure and comfortable to be around. Zuko didn't often change, he was a continuous part of Aang's life now, like the older brother he never had. "We're here to help you, you have to understand that." Zuko placed his hand on Aang's back, a soft, barely visible smile on his face, lit up hesitantly by the moon. Aang smiled back. 

"Thanks, Zuko." Aang nodded, genuinely feeling a bit better. "Before I tell the others, though, I think there's...someone else I want to talk to." Aang leaned over to hug Zuko, which the older boy grumbled at, but reciprocated. 

"Fine, but make sure you get some sleep before tomorrow, you need it." Zuko's voice went back to its normal stern tone, but Aang smiled back at him anyways. 

Aang sat in a lotus position, his eyes closed peacefully. In his hands he held a carefully carved necklace, a pendant for every nation circling the string in an even pattern. He breathed in deeply, his mind empty. The only sound that could be heard in the room was that of his own breathing and his girlfriends in the bed across the room. It had been some time since Aang had felt the need to contact any of his past lives, but something about this situation made him feel like he needed to talk to one past avatar in particular. He wasn't a man Aang had spoken to often, but Aang had been reading up on his past lives recently, and decidedly the most recent avatar who could help was-

"Hello, Aang." 

He was here. Aang opened his eyes, greeted by the somewhat familiar man, an echoing translucent blue painting his face, a smile etching across his chiseled features. 

"Hello, Avatar Kuruk." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zuko being Aang's therapist and also older brother and also dad and also chaotic best friend and teacher is my aesthetic honestly. I just,,,,, love their relationship SO MUCH?? They're babies


	4. 4-Words of those who Came Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talking about your problems is hard but Aang is doing his best :/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took so long to write, this week was Kwanzaa so i was busy celebrating. Also happy new year!!

Aang hadn't spoken to Avatar Kuruk directly since he had asked him what to do in regards to Ozai right before Sozin's Comet. Previously, the man had been still and formal, offering little more than his (admittedly very vague) advice before leaving, but now he seemed less...formal. His face was peaceful, he seemed happy to be helping the younger avatar. "It's been some time since we've spoke, but you called for me to come to you specifically. What did you need?"

"I'm having some...issues...with a spirit." Aang sighed, and Kuruk furrowed his brow, seeming a bit more serious. "Well, I mean, she hasn't really bothered me she just keeps following me around and I'm not sure why...?" Kuruk hummed, putting his hand to his chin, considering something for a moment before turning back to Aang.

"This spirit, what does she look like? Has anyone else seen her?" Kuruk leaned forward slightly, his eyes piercing through Aang's.

"Ah..." Aang considered his answer for a moment, looking away from the previous avatar and staring at the ground for some time before turning back. "Well I haven't seen her up close but the first time I saw her, in Gaoling, was the closest she ever got to me. She looked...kind of human, but I think she has...horns of some sort? I'm not totally sure yet. She was wearing kind of...now that I think about it, her clothes sort of looked like Air Nomad robes, but even the first time I saw her she was too far for me to see clearly." Aang sighed, a voice in the back of his head telling him he sounded like an imbecile with how little information he had available to present to his past life. "I don't think anyone else has seen her, my friends were there when she first appeared and they didn't seem to notice that she was there." Kuruk nodded his head.

"I see." The Water Tribesman was silent for a moment before continuing. "I believe I know this spirit, but unfortunately I cannot tell you who she is." Kuruk watched Aang's expression drop and offered a comforting smile. "Although, I can tell you that she is a friend. Many Avatars have met her, myself included. She is there to help you, but if you are afraid of her, she may not be able to assist you. If you are open to her presence, however, she will come to you when she sees fit."

"Thank you, Avatar Kuruk." Aang smiled at him with a tone of finality in his voice, acknowledging that Kuruk's spirit was beginning to waver, although he wasn't sure if that was because Aang's body was getting tired of being in the spirit world while it was already so tired or because Kuruk himself just wanted to leave. Before he could mention it, Kuruk nodded to Aang before disappearing. Aang blinked in surprise and when he opened his eyes once more he was back in his room at the Fire Nation Royal Palace, sitting on the floor in the corner of the room with his girlfriend sitting up in bed staring at him with bewilderment behind her glossy blue eyes. He looked down and watched as the bright lights faded from his tattoos before looking back up at Katara.

"Sorry, Sweetie," he said quietly as he stood up. "Did I wake you...?"

"No," Katara shook her head as Aang got in bed behind her. Her dark brown hair cascaded down her back loosely framing her face and shoulders in a way Aang didn't often see. She was wearing one of Aang's larger spare shirts, as she often did when she slept. The soft orange-yellow fabric hung loosely around her shoulders, exposing the crook of her neck just slightly. "I think I woke myself up, that tends to happen when you're awake when I'm not." Her hand left its spot on the bed, holding onto Aang's arm gently. "Are you okay? Why were you in the Avatar state, were you in the spirit world or something...?" Aang nodded.

"Yeah I...I needed to talk to someone. Don't worry about it." He smiled at her softly as he pulled himself onto the mattress, lifting the red and gold embroidered sheets and allowing himself to slip under the covers besides his partner. Aang considered leaving it at that, but his conversation with Zuko earlier flashed into his mind so he turned back to her. "I'll tell you in the morning."

Katara's eyes fluttered open as she awoke, much earlier than she would normally rouse from her sleep. It took a moment for her senses to awaken, leaving her staring off into space for a few moments before she managed to sit up. She looked around the room for Aang, who clearly wasn't in the bed, but found him quickly. The younger boy was crouched in front of a makeshift Air Nomad shrine, most of which Aang had clearly been set up and maybe even made himself. Aang held a short stick of incense in front of him, held with still and purposeful hands as the boys rocked back and forth, quietly chanting to himself in a language Katara recognized, but only barely. She had heard Aang speak in the traditional language of the Air Nomads occasionally to himself, often quietly and softly, as if each word were to be held onto and handled with care like they might break if said to loud or given to the wrong person. Occasionally, though, he would speak those words loudly. When he thought the others weren't looking, Aang would dance in the rain and sing as the water surrounded him, his voice ecstatic and lively as what sounded like a children's song echoed from lips and danced into the air. Katara never interrupted him in those moments. Never tried to ask him about it, although she would be lying if she said she had never wished she spoke her lovers native tongue. She knew those words, whatever they meant, were important to him, and anything that was that important to Aang was important to her. She wanted to love and cherish his language as much as he did. She wanted to embrace this piece of his culture the same way he did for her which he tried to learn Southern Water Tribe Language for her (he inevitably realized he was terrible at speaking the language, but he still tried to greet Katara and any other member of the Southern Water Tribe with their native words when he could). She knew he felt the same joy singing the songs of his people and speaking their poems and words that she did when she sang the lullabies her mother had sung to her as a child or told the stories elders had told her and the other children on cold nights when they only had a small fire and a sense of family to keep them warm and sheltered from the elements.

Now, however, Aang's voice was calm, at peace. The words flowed up from his throat and out his mouth like a river streaming forward into the ocean. His little make shift shrine was peaceful, but small. A little fold-up table with 4 candles burning quietly upon it, accompanying a small, weathered painting of a peaceful looking woman who Katara did not recognize, and a smaller replica of Gyatso's statue at the Southern Air Temple that had clearly earth-bended into the world, probably by Aang himself. Next to the statue stood a bowl, also bended from stone, full of fresh fruit and flowers. Katara found Aang's arrangements quaint and endearing, although she knew it was no replacement to the huge, intricately constructed shrines within the Air Temples, specifically the Eastern Air Temple, that she had stumbled across while she was exploring. Katara was sure that the other Air Temples had just as incredible shrines to the spirits throughout them, carefully placed and constructed with grace and dignity and pride, now left as ruble in a forgotten nation of ghosts. As much as what Aang had done was endearing and sweet and kind, she knew it wasn't a replacement for the real thing. She had a feeling Aang knew it too. 

Katara watched Aang for a few more minutes as he finished his prayers, watching as the little stick of sandal wood incense burned out, its ashes falling to the floor, forgotten. Eventually, he sat up out of his kneeling position, a twinge of disappointment on his face. It was a very particular look that he wore, one she saw often. She had seen it when they were on their way to the North Pole for the very first time, when Aang had been struggling to learn Earth-bending, when the Invasion failed, when everyone had been telling him to take Firelord Ozai's life. It wasn't uncommon for Aang to go off on his own for a bit and come back as if he'd been searching for something and hadn't found it. She had never asked what it was that he had been doing all those times, it seemed too personal a question to ask at the time, but now that they had officially been dating for two years, it felt like something that needed to be talked about at some point. Just as Katara was about to mention it, Aang turned around. 

"Hey Sweetie..." he said quietly, a tired smile painted on his face. "you're up early." He began walking towards his small pack of clothes, tugging his more ceremonial Air Nomad attire over his head and folding the soft fabric up with care before beginning to get dressed for the day. He pulled his standard outfit out of his pack, an old pair of warm brown pants and his favorite orange and yellow shawl. 

"So are you," Katara replied, standing up and deciding do get dressed herself. Aang turned to a position where he couldn't see her out of habit, but he remained where they could continue talking to each other. Katara was silent for a moment before she continued. "I...I liked listening to you chant. It was nice." Katara slipped Aang's shirt off of her own head and placed it on a near by table before turning to get one of her own shirts. 

"Oh, thank you," Katara could hear the smile behind Aang's words and let go of a breathe she didn't know she'd been holding. "I hadn't said my prayers in a while and especially after last night I figured it would be a good time to do so, especially since we're going to leave in a few hours." Aang thought back to his childhood, remembering watching the older children say their prayers before leaving on trips, ensuring a safe journey. He remembered how he had forgotten to do the same before leaving during the storm on that fateful night. For a moment, he considered a world where he _had_ said his prayers that night and the spirits had protected him from the wind and rain, keeping him flying until...who knows what. Would he had still ended up in the Southern Water Tribe? Would he have met someone else there who he went it the North Pole with or would he have had to make the journey to master all four elements alone? Would he have had to face Sozin instead of Ozai? Would his people still be here...? Aang shut his eyes tight at that thought, pushing it to the back of his mind as he often did when considering what _might_ have been different in another world or timeline because that wasn't where he was now. 

_"We cannot concern ourselves with what was..."_

"Right, yeah, you were going to tell me about that?" Katara's words broke Aang's thoughts as she turned back to him. She finished putting on her shirt and he did the same before turning back to look at her. Aang sighed quietly and sat down on the bed they had shared the night before, looking away from her. Katara followed him, sitting down on the center of the mattress and beginning to do her hair, allowing muscle memory to guide the familiar movements rather than a mirror. 

"Yeah I...uh..." Aang had never been good at talking about his feelings. He fiddled with his hands as he tried to put the words together, a sudden anxiety creeping up his spine. He rarely got nervous or anxious about anything, but for some reason he was now. He swallowed harshly, taking a deep breath before he continued. "Do you remember when we were in Gaoling and I...I said I saw that spirit...?" Something in the back of Aang's mind whispered at him to stop talking. Bury it. Bury it like he always had, it had worked before hadn't it? It had worked when he had first met Katara and Sokka, they hadn't even known Aang was the avatar until someone else told them! Another voice also seemed to be telling him to stand his ground, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Toph- no, they definitely were Toph, all be it when she was a bit younger than she was now. Somehow, the flashes of his Earth-bending master yelling at him that he couldn't run away, words she had spoken so long ago, seemed to push Aang to continue speaking. "I've seen that spirit again. She kept following us on our way here, I think she needs something from me but I'm not sure what..." Katara raised her brow. 

"Do...do you think she's dangerous...?" She finished off doing her hand and moved closer to Aang, putting a hand on his shoulder. Aang shook his head.

"No," he replied, slowly looking up At Katara. "I went into the spirit world to ask Avatar Kuruk-"

"He was the last Water Tribe avatar before you, right?" Katara was about to apologize for interrupting but Aang didn't seem to notice or care. 

"Yeah, he was from the Northern Water Tribe. He wasn't as well known or appreciated as some of the other Avatars but he did some pretty important things and he dealt with the spirits a lot so I thought asking him would be a good idea." Aang explained in response to Katara's question. "He said he knew the spirit, but that he couldn't tell me who she was. He did confirm that she isn't out to hurt us though, he just said I have to be 'open to her presence' or something," Aang huffed, crossing his arms. 

"Well, at least we know she isn't out to hurt us," Katara smiled reassuringly, and Aang smiled back. She reached out and took Aang's hand in hers, rubbing the side of his hand reassuringly. "I think you should follow Kuruk's advice. Let's go ahead with the trip, and besides, even if she suddenly decides to change her mind on her decision not to hurt us, you've got me and Sokka and Zuko and Toph and Suki all here to help you." She leaned forward and left a peck on his cheek. 

"Thank you..." Aang sighed. He went to reach his hand around her head and run a hand through her hair, something he often did when he was stressed, but she stood up before he could. 

"Let's go get some breakfast." Katara smiled at his, tugging gently at the hand she was holding pulling him towards the door to their room. Aang grinned back and nodded, standing up and allowing Katara to drag him off to the royal dining room where the others, or at the very least Zuko and his family, would be waiting for them. For the first time since they left Gaoling, Aang didn't feel heavy, as though he had been carrying something. He didn't feel totally revealed from the anxious thoughts that plagued his mind, crawling up his spine and into his brain, wrapping their tendrils around him. Aang still needed answers, but he knew that until he got them, he wasn't going to feel so unnerved. He had people around him who were willing and ready to protect him, and he was ready to protect them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter isn't as exciting as some of the others have been, I promise things are gonna start getting interesting in the next chapter!! In the mean time, here's some stressed aang content and some soft kataang hehe
> 
> also I really like the idea of languages in atla so i brought that up here too. if yo guys have any criticism or ideas for me please leave me a comment!! 
> 
> oh ALsO aang has crippling anxiety someone please help him he's a baby


	5. 5-Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I hate it when there's another attempt on my life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this whole chapter written out and then I accidentally closed the tab before posting I hate myself, sorry this sucks I was frustrated when I re wrote it :/ 
> 
> Also Momo is the original Kataang child and don't you forget it
> 
> oh ALSO the way I've completely given up on making these summaries sound serious lmaoo

Flying over the Fire Nation in the morning was one of Aang's favorite things. Appa hovered above the thin clouds, the sky still glistening with the lingering pink from the sunrise earlier that day. The clouds below them were warmer than most were, and even at this high in the sky Agni's touch still graced the atmosphere, making it warm and humid. Appa seemed to know where they were going, so Aang wasn't paying much attention to where exactly they were headed. Occasionally, Aang's gray eyes would glance back at his friends seated on the saddle, watching them for a moment before turning back.

Katara was sitting the closest to Aang, reading over a leather-bound book with Water Tribe designs covering it's exterior. Momo was perched on her shoulder, occasionally messing with her hair. Sokka was sitting towards the back, eating the last of his breakfast and chatting with Toph, who was holding onto his arm like she often did when they flew. Suki and Zuko were sitting close by, having a quiet conversation of their own. Aang smiled at them, happy to see his friends so relaxed. It had been so long since any of them had taken a break from their duties, even a few weeks ago when Aang had been with Katara in the South Pole he was there to help monitor communications between the Northern and Southern Tribes, not really for Katara. Sokka was usually busy helping his father run the South Pole, or going back to the Fire Nation as an ambassador. Suki worked part time as Zuko's body guard, but for the past few months she had been back in Kyoshi training the newer warriors and trying to help re-establish trade on their island. Zuko was obviously stuck in Caldera working on reparations towards the other nations and ensuring that any rebellions against his reign were taken care of before anyone was hurt. Now, here they were. Aang turned back and watched as the sky continued on for what felt like forever, leaning back on the palms of his hands. This almost felt like old times, back when his main concerns were defeating fire lord Ozai and whether or not Katara actually liked him or not. Things were hard during the war, but at least he only had one or two goals in mind, now that the war was over it felt like someone constantly needed something from him, which as the Avatar, he understood why, but that didn't make it any less obnoxious.

"Hey," Katara's voice broke his thoughts, and suddenly she was sitting right next to him, smiling. Aang wasn't sure how he didn't hear her coming in the first place. "I need to talk to you about something, it might help you with that spirit you've been dealing with,"

"Oh, really?" Aang grinned, moving over a bit so she could sit more comfortably. "What did you find?"

"Well, earlier today when I was packing, I found my old schedule." She handed him that leather bound book he had seen her looking through earlier. "Well, I mean, I used to use it as a schedule, but then i started just using it as a notebook and..." She trailed off awkwardly, but Aang didn't seem to mind. "I thought I had lost it when we were in the Si Wong desert and our stuff got stolen but it turns out I still had it!"

"That's great, Sweetie, but how is this gonna help with that Spirit?" Aang inquired, flipping through the pages for a while and admiring Katara's handwriting.

"Well, do you remember when you and Sokka got trapped in the spirit world that one time?" Katara asked, taking the book back and flipping to a page that looked like a list. Aang nodded as he watched her. "After that, I did some research and ended up writing down the dates for as many solstices as I could find, so if anything like that happened again we would be able to plan better, and look!" She pointed out a specific line in the list that labeled the Autumn Solstice as being about a week from then. "The solstice is almost here, maybe that's why that spirit wants to talk to you!" 

"Wow, thanks Katara!" He grinned and leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek. "What would I ever do without you?" She smiled back at him. 

"I'm not sure," She replied playfully. They both laughed for a moment before Katara spoke again. "Do you mind if I stay up here with you? I was getting bored on the saddle." Aang adjusted himself, turning towards Katara with a grin.

"What, is Momo not good enough company for you?" Aang laughed, holding his arm out and signaling Momo to land on his forearm, which he gladly did. Aang reached into his shirt and pulled out a piece of fruit, which the lemur gladly took. 

"No, I just missed you," Katara replied with a smile, leaning her head onto Aang's chest. The grey eyes boy made a low hum, closing his eyes as he moved his hand up to the back of her head, running a hand through her dark brown hair. The two of them sat there for a while, Katara leaning against Aang's chest and him gently fiddling with her hair before Katara sat up, a confused look on her face. 

"I think we got knocked off course or something..." She mumbled. Her voice wasn't loud, but seemingly everyone heard her as they glanced over at where she was sitting."There isn't normally an island on this path, is there?" Aang shook his head and looked over the side of the bison and sure enough they were cruising over a lush green island. It wasn't very big, but it was certainly there. Not far off from the coast of the island was a boat steadily sailing across the water. No one in their group seemed to notice that Appa was slowly going down.

"No...No there shouldn't be an island there..." Sokka confirmed from the saddled, holding out a map and tracing out their course. "There are a couple uninhabited islands not far off our path, both none directly on it." The tan boy looked up at his friends. "We're about seven miles North of where we should be." Aang sighed quietly, running his hand over his head.

"Sorry guys, I was letting Appa fly himself and he seemed like he knew where we were going but I think something made him confused and-" Aang was interrupted as Katara stood up quickly, bending the water from her pouch to make a shield to protect herself and Aang from a blast of Fire coming their way. Appa roared anxiously, rearing to the left and away from where the shot of flame had come from. Aang stood up, grabbing Katara's hand and moving to the saddle so they could be on more stable ground in case they needed to continue fighting. 

"Did anyone see where that came from-" Aang was cut off again as another, larger black of fire came rushing towards them. He stepped in front of Katara on instinct, using his arms to deflect the blast away. At this point everyone was standing up, alert and in a fighting position. Toph was the only one not necessarily ready to fight, but they were in mid air so there wasn't much she could do. 

"The boat...it's a pirate ship." Zuko growled, preparing himself to fight. Sokka pulled his boomerang from it's sheath on his back, holding it up ready to throw. Suki had pulled her fans from her bag, fashioning them into a shield and holding a defensive position towards the back of the group, standing a bit in front of Toph to ensure that, seeing as she couldn't bend nor see at this height, the younger girl wasn't hurt. Appa seemed dazed and confused as he zigzagged over the island, ending up much closer to the boat then any of them realistically wanted to be. Suddenly, another hit was made, but this time with a large piece of rock, hitting Appa square in the chest. The blow came much to quickly and too low for any of them to anticipate, and that ended up being their, quite literal, downfall. Appa roared in pain, loosing his grip on the wind and beginning to fall towards the island ground. 

Aang's fists clenched as he felt a familiar feeling worm its way up his back and into his mind, clouding his vision ever so slightly with a field of glossy, shiny white. He felt his body begin to float as a circle of wind encompassed his body, his head shot towards the boat of pirates, who now seemed quite afraid, and his arms raised, a huge wave of ocean water following his lead as he pulled it over the boat, smothering it in one fail swoop. The wood of the ship snapped in half with a huge _crunch_ , the crew member's being strewn about as Aang continued to pummel the remnants of the boat with a random assortment of elements. It had been years since he had entered the Avatar state and not been able to control himself, but even after all that time the feeling his his body moving on its own to carry out his minds deepest, worst desires, governed by anger and fear without care for human life was still familiar. Disgusting and terrifying, but almost nostalgic. 

Suddenly, he felt a cold rope of water wrap around his torso, quickly turning to ice and pulling his back to Appa, and the others, who had landed not far from the beach where Aang had been floating. The trees around the bison were torn to shreds, and Appa himself lay on the ground, exhausted and in pain. The sudden temperature of the ice shocked Aang's body enough to pull him from the Avatar state, his muscles going limp with fatigue as he was finally pulled completely out of the air, the water dissipating as he landed in Katara's arms. Aang felt his breathing slow down, along with his heart rate as he slowly looked up at her. He almost smiled as he thought about how even after a battle with pirates and falling 30 feet onto an uninhabited island she still looked gorgeous. 

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...do that..." he coughed, gripping Katara's shirt, a headache overwhelming his senses. "Wh...where are we...?"


	6. 6-You are Never Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kataang tease, chaotic Toph, and Aang sorta figures out who that spirit was from earlier. What more can you want?

After around thirty minutes of scouring their map, Sokka figured out that they were on Takai Island, which was technically Fire Nation land, but it had been almost completely ignored for around three hundred years because it lacked any potentially useful resources apart from trees (but the Fire Nation didn't have too much use for wood for obvious reasons). The nearest land was another, slightly bigger island about 30 miles South, but it was also uninhabited; besides, Appa was still not in much condition to fly, so after a while of discussion it was decided that the group would stay the night, long enough for Katara to heal their bison and for the rest of the group to rest before they set back off on their planned path. Aang had spent most of the groups time in the first few hours on the island apologizing. He was starting to feel awful about having dragged his friends out to go on an unnecessary trip only to endanger their lives on some remote island. He had tried to help set up camp like he normally did, but Katara insisted that he couldn't help because he apparently fractured his wrist at some point during the fight (Aang insisted that his wrist was fine and he could help them get supplies, but Katara was more stubborn than him and she convinced him to stay near Appa while they got everything ready). The others seemed to be doing fine, and within an hour they had a fire going and tents set up. Katara had healed Appa first upon Aang's request, but he would still need some rest before he would be able to fly again. Aang sat next to Appa while the bison slept, using his supposed good hand to stroke his head while Katara worked on his wrist.

"I'm sorry Katara..." Aang sighed, glancing over at his girlfriend. Her hair had fallen into her face a bit as she concentrated on Aang's wrist, holding it gently with one hand and carefully bending the water around his wrist (which still didn't really hurt, but Aang had decided a few minutes ago to just take her word for it and stop fighting her assessment.

"Sweetie," Katara looked up from his wrist for a moment. "You've already said that to practically everyone at camp. It's fine, you couldn't have known we were going to get attacked."

"I could have seen Appa going off course earlier!" He retorted. "I got us all stuck on this stupid island and I hurt Appa and I hurt all those people and I..." he felt a lump rise in his throat and tears threatened to fall from his eyes. He looked away from Katara, his eyes glued to the ground as he took his hand away from Appa to wipe his face. "You didn't mean to, though," Katara sighed, pulling the water away from his wrist and slipping the liquid back into her pouch.

"We've dealt with worse for longer, its gonna be fine sweetie." She smiled at him and leaned forward, stroking the side of his cheek with her thumb. Aang reached his hand up, taking hold of hers, but he didn't pull her hand away. The two of them sat like that for a moment before Katara pulled away. "Your wrist should be better now," She smiled, planting a kiss on where she had just healed, the pale skin still damp from her water.

"If you'd like to come join me for some water bending, I'll be over by the cliffs. Katara pointed to an area a ways down the beach, a tide pool partially hidden by a few small . The section of beach was warm and inviting, the sun shining almost directly onto it, but secluded just enough to be private for the two of them. Aang grinned, using Appa's sleeping form to help himself stand up.

"Lead the way, Sifu Katara," Aang replied playfully, taking her hand.

The two of them strolled down the beach mostly in silence, letting the sun beam down on them, Agni's touch gracing their skin. The sand beneath them was just cool enough to walk on, but they had to walk fast to avoid getting their feet burned. By that time it was noon and the sun was as high in the sky as it would get. Sokka was sitting on the shadier part of the beach, Suki not far away from him. Toph wasn't far from Sokka either, testing her sand bending abilities as she put together various sculptures and figures. Zuko was a bit more cut off from the rest of the group, doing what looked like Fire Bending form practice, although Aang couldn't see him very well from where he stood. The older boy's hair had grown quite a lot since they had first become friends, and now he had to keep a simple top knot on at almost all times to ensure that he could see at all. He looked a bit farther away than he actually was, but from where Aang stood he could make out the older boy dripping with sweat. Aang understood the feeling, he himself was quite hot, even with his shirt off.

Aang's mind came back from its trailing off just in time to feel the warm, welcoming ocean waters surround his ankles as Katara lead him into the tide pool. He hadn't even noticed that they had made it all the way over here, but he didn't say anything. He had found himself getting distracted like that often, anyways. Katara let go of his hand to take off her shirt and Aang took the opportunity to roll up his pants, even though he knew he would probably end up waist deep in the water anyways. Once that was done, he turned back to the water and stepped all the way in. As expected, the water lapped at his hips, but the alcove was a bit colder than expected. The walls of the cliffs surrounding them created shade that covered most of the surroundings. Aang stared down at the water, which was still bright blue even under the looming shadows. He could see the rocks littered across the sandy floor beneath him, rubbed smooth by the tides. There was a star fish laying upon one of them, its long, orange arms stretched out without care. Aang smiled and leaned down, poking the creature in its center and chuckling as it tensed up, squeezing in upon itself.

Katara made her way past the larger rocks that hid her from Aang, stepping into the water with ease. She had taken her hair out of the braid it had been in before, letting the waves of deep brown locks cascade down her shoulders freely. She wore the same swim suit she normally did during their water bending practice, her pale blue two piece that Aang always thought complimented her eyes. Aang soon realized that Katara was right, it had been a while since they had practiced together. In fact, it had been some time since they had gone swimming together at all, it was almost strange to see her in her bathing suit after all that time. Katara giggled quietly to herself and decided to take Aang's flushing state as an opportunity, sending a tentacle of water to reach up and grab him by the waist, pulling him face first into the water. Aang shrieked as he was pulled under, staying there for a moment before finding his footing again, coming back to the surface to find Katara doubled over laughing at him.

"H-hey, that's not fair!!" he sputtered, his face even redder now than it had been before. "I wasn't ready!!"

"You gotta be faster than that," Katara laughed, getting herself into her first form. "now, take your stance."

The two of them spared for hours, often ending in Aang being plummeted into the water below. As the sun was beginning to go down, painting the beach a shade of soft pink. The water continued to get colder as the day progressed, but neither of them seemed to mind. As they finished their final fight, the two both seemed about even. Aang stood firmly in the octopus form, his hands loose, but ready to attack. Just as he was about to strike, Katara moved and bended the water he held up in his right hand away from him, breaking his concentration. Before he could react, Katara knocked him back against the sandstone wall of the cliff, sending him back under water as she had before. She laughed for a moment before making her way over to help him. Aang was fine, if not a bit dazed from hitting his head, a bit dizzy as he stood up. 

"Shit, I'm sorry, did I hit you too hard?" Katara asked, concern in her voice as she checked him for bruises. 

"I'm fine, sweetie," he chuckled, wrapping his arm around her waist, partially for stability and partially because he just felt like it. 

"Are you sure?" Katara asked, a smile creeping onto her face as her arm made its way around his back, holding onto his sholdars from behind. He was just a bit taller than her, and she still wasn't used to having to look ever so slightly up to meet with his gray eyes. "You usually aren't so...direct." Aang laughed, pulling her closer. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, leaning closer to her face. Katara did the same, closing her eyes slowly. The world around them seemed to stop as Aang tilted his head, one of his hands moving up to Katara's face and feeling her soft skin in his hands. Then, just as their lips were about to touch-

**"Sugar Queen! Twinkle Toes! You too better not be making out back there, Suki made dinner and if you aren't back to camp in the next ten minutes we aren't saving any food for you!!"**

Aang stopped and opened his eyes, startled by the sudden yet familiar voice of his blind earth bending teacher blaring from behind the cliff that separated them from the rest of the beach. Katara stopped too, a groan escaping her lips. 

"Well...that kinda killed the mood..." Aang mumbled, letting go of Katara awkwardly. 

"Ah...yeah...." Katara let go of Aang, stepping back and twiddling her hair anxiously, something Aang noticed she did often when she was nervous. 

"Let's...head back to camp..." 

The rest of the night hadn't been as awkward as Aang was worried it would be. They had ended dinner as the sun finally disappeared past the ocean, all of them feeling fairly tired from the day. Aang and Katara smelled of salt water and sand, but neither of them seemed to mind as they tucked into their tent for the night, falling asleep much earlier than they normally would. 

Aang awoke late at night. Really late at night, probably around two in the morning, although he wasn't certain. He laid in bed, his arm wrapped protectively around his girlfriend, unsure why he had woken up, but he suddenly didn't feel tired. He felt very awake in fact. Aang carefully took his arm back from Katara, who groaned quietly in protest but otherwise didn't move. He stood up carefully, ducking as he made his way out of the tent. The stars were bright and Yue hung quietly in the sky, illuminating the ground below in a soft, white light. 

It took Aang a moment to notice Yue was only lighting up a part of the surroundings-no, there was another light source somewhere around here...

Aang turned to his left, slowly, only to come face to face with a spirit. The same spirit he had been seeing following them everywhere! He was about to say something when the spirit turned and floated off into the woods, leaving a trail of light in her wake. Aang hesitated just for a moment, before chasing off after her, not caring where he ended up, into the deep, cold forest ahead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY I LEFT THIS ON A CLIFF HANGER I WASN'T GONNA DO THAT BUT I'M REALLY TIRED GFCHVJGHCF


	7. 7-Just Out of Reach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to save and had to rewrite this chapter I hate it here  
> Also sorry this is so short, I've had a lot of school work and over all I'm just,,, really tired and writing is hard

Aang's bare feet stung as he ran through the forest, chasing after the spirit as she calmly floated off, just out of reach. The light emitting from her tall form may have been subtle any other time, but in his tired state and in the dark of the night the lights felt blinding. He was freezing now, the night had seemingly gotten much colder. His fingers and toes were slightly numb and chills ran up his naked back as it was exposed to the wind. Occasionally, his shoulder would get caught on a branch or scrape against a tree, leaving him covered in various bruises and little cuts; but he kept going. He kept running as fast as his tired legs and exhausted air bending would let him, pushing his body as far as it seemed to want to go until the spirit suddenly stopped. Aang knew his legs wouldn't quit moving on their own with the momentum he had built up, so he bent a bit of earth up from the ground, cringing as he braced himself to trip, which he did. He landed face first into...sand. Aang lifted his head, ending up in a kneeling position. Glancing around, he realized he was kneeling on a stretch of beach he didn't recognize; they must have made it all the way to the other side of the island. He heaved, his lungs burning and the pain from his scraped arms and shoulders beginning to make itself known. Finally, he forced his tired eyes to move and looked up at the spirit.

She was tall for a human, but not so much for a spirit; about ten feet to be exact. Her skin was dark, the same shade at Katara's, and her eyes were blue and soft. Her face seemed foreign, but simultaneously familiar; the same way it had felt seeing Toph in the swamp when he was younger. The spirit wore ceremonial Air nomad robes. The clothes draped her body fittingly, wrapping around her waist in a way he had only seen nuns wear as a child. Her hair was shaved back, but not completely, the gray styled similarly to Avatar Yangchen. On her head, trailing down her arms and to her feet were the tattoos of an air bending master. ON either side of her forehead sat horns; large horns, mimicking that of a sky bison.

"You..." Aang choked out, his throat burning as he spoke, the salty ocean air invading his lungs. "You're an Air Nomad spirit..." The spirit shook her head, looking down at him the way one might look at a small animal.

"No, Avatar, I'm afraid I am not," The spirit's voice was calm, but Aang felt his face drop from a smile he didn't know he had been holding.

"Then who are you...?" Aang's voice was quiet, he didn't think he could make any noise louder than that, but she seemed to hear him just fine.

"I am the spirit of destiny," she replied. "I may look as thought I am an air nomad to you, young Avatar, but I simply take on the form of everything that will come to you within your life. I appear with a different form to every mortal being on this Earth, and as one changes and alters their own destiny, the way I may appear to you will change too. I am Shonoki." The way she spoke to Aang felt like being told a story, it almost seemed to ease the pain he was in. Kuruk was right; she had met many avatars before him, he could feel it. He could almost see the appearance she took on for his past lives, even.

"Oh...a-alright..." Aang swallowed hard, trying to satiate the fire that encapsulated his esophagus. "Why...why are you here? What to you need from me...?"

"Actually, it appears as though you are the one who needs me," The spirit replied with a slight smirk. Aang was a bit shocked by her reply, but he stayed quiet, expecting her to continue. "You have done a great service to the world by cutting off Firelord Ozai's connection with his fire bending, but the world is not at balance yet. In fact, it will not be for many, many years to come." Aang sighed quietly, biting his tongue. "The loss of the Air Nomads has thrown the world completely out of balance, and now that the war is over many spirits finally have the opportunity to grow angry over this loss, and have begun to inflict chaos upon the mortal world." 

Aang felt the breathe practically leave his body. He had an idea of who these spirits were, but he wasn't certain. 

"What can I do to s-stop them?" Aang's voice was stronger now, but it made the rest of his body feel weaker. All that running and the cold was starting to get to him, seemingly, because his vision was mostly out of focus and he almost had to strain his ears to hear the spirit correctly. 

"You will need to travel to each of the Air Temples to calm the spirits there. Only you will be able to do it, no one else can." Shonoki continued. "It would have been ideal if you had done this months ago, but you hadn't seemed to been understanding my signs until I was forced to come to the mortal plane and explain everything to you like a toddler." The spirit huffed, crossing her arms. 

"S-sorry," Aang choked out. He would have said more but he couldn't bring his vocal chords to keep going anymore.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing too, the only person you really hurt here is yourself!" Aang felt a wave of nostalgia hit him suddenly; this really did feel like being scolded as a toddler. "Now, you have to choose one spirit to put at peace before the solstice, I doubt you'll be able to reach them all. I recommend dealing with the most dangerous one first, the spirit currently residing at the Southern Air Temple, but it's your decision to make." With that, the spirit turned and dissipated. Aang had a million more questions he wanted to ask her, but his body refused. As he tried to speak all that came out of his mouth was a small whimper before he fell asleep in the sand, passing out almost the moment he hit the ground with little care for how he would explain the nights events to the rest of their group in the morning.


	8. 8-The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang is tired of a lot of things, but at least he has his friends here to help him through it :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are coming in super slow atm but i'm doing my best! I hope th elong chapter makes up for it though haha

When Aang awoke, the sun was glaring down at him, its light blinding him completely anytime he tried to open his eyes. As his senses slowly began to come back to him, a headache came with them, only adding to the overwhelming feeling that was beginning to course through his veins. He groaned quietly to himself, pain of all kinds suddenly rippling through his body. His legs ached, and perhaps he was just too tired but as of that moment he couldn't move them very well- in fact, upon making a few quick tests he found that he was having trouble moving any part of his body at all. The flesh on his shoulders and arms stung as the ocean waves lapped at them. _'The tides must have come in...'_ he thought to himself, biting his lip as he continued to pressure his torso to allow him to sit up, which it adamantly refused. Aang sat there for a few minutes before it really hit him that he was barely awake, sitting shirtless and half underwater on a beach. Panic began to rise in him before the previous few days events trickled back into his memory, but the panic didn't cease just yet. 

He had to calm the spirits. 

Aang groaned again, the thought of having to deal with another world-threatening danger weighing heavy on his tired mind. He thought about what that spirit said...something she said about having been sending him signs for some time was sticking with him, making him even more stressed. He felt so stupid, how could he had not seen this coming! It was so obvious; all those dreams that had been plaguing his brain for months hadn't just been post-war trauma and recovery, they had been messages! Horribly articulated messages, but messages none-the-less, and messages he should have understood. 

After a moment of thought it hit him what the first message had probably been. Around two months ago he'd been sitting in on a meeting with Zuko on...something. He was pretty sure it had been trade agreements between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation but seeing as it was around 5 AM when this meeting took place and no one had spoken to him in at least twenty minutes, Aang had found himself quietly drifting off in his seat. As the Avatar, Aang might have been a Fire Bender and Fire Benders do indeed rise with the sun, however, he was also an Air, Water, and Earth Bender and most importantly he was Aang and although the part of him that wanted to bask in Agni's light wasn't being quiet, the rest of him was far more interested in a quick nap then any sort of spiritual sun bathing. 

After a moment he suddenly found himself standing on what looked like nothing. Surrounding him was a black abyss, completely devoid of all life except his own. Aang had looked around for a moment, taking in his surroundings before being interrupted by a scream. Aang spun around only to find Katara crying dreadfully, her body lay down on the ground limply. She sobbed in pain, and Aang could see what he thought was blood dripping down from the top of her head. She hadn't seemed to notice him so he called out her name and tried to run towards her but as he ran she seemed to get farther and farther away until she was completely out of reach. Just as his surroundings began to change and warp, he woke up. Aang was a bit startled, looking around frantically before realizing he was still in the meeting and he had been woken up by Zuko elbowing him in the side. Thankfully the ministers present at the meeting were too busy arguing to realize that Aang had fallen asleep, but his Fire Bending Sifu gave him enough glares for everyone else there. Aang remembered thinking Zuko looked at him like an angry father scolding their child in public. He also remembered thinking about how he had once read that dreaming doesn't normally happen until several hours into sleep and he had probably only been asleep for a few minutes then. He remembered how confused he felt at that thought. He remembered how he had brushed it off. 

Most of the dreams Aang could think of that he thought may have been messages from the spirit of destiny he had encountered the night before involved losing people he cared about. Usually Katara, but a lot of them had Sokka, Zuko, Suki and Toph getting hurt too. He was pretty sure one of them even had Teo and Haru in it! A lot of them also involved the Air Nomads- or at the very least the Air temples. He would watch helplessly as his home went up in smoke or as Gyatso was forced into that tiny room by two dozen Fire Nation soldiers. The thought made him shiver slightly. Come to think of it, he'd been having a lot of nightmares lately. More than he had experienced since he had just found out about the genocide of his people or just before The Day of Black Sun. It was beginning to make less and less sense as to why he hadn't understood sooner. Even when he did decide to come to the Air Temples, he hadn't even known he was actually needed there! If he had known he would have gone sooner, and he would have gone alone. Now he was going to be putting all his closest friend's lives in danger because he couldn't pick up on such an obvious sign any sooner. Aang considered sending them all back home, but that would take even more time and a part of him knew they would never let him do this alone. Another part of him, a part that he was decidedly labeling as ' _selfish_ ', was glad they would be there with him, even though he had no idea what to expect. 

He sat there for a while, thinking about all the dreams he had and checking once-in-a-while to see if his muscles could be coaxed into movement (they never could be) and trying not to fall back asleep. Suddenly, as he sat there in the sun, salt water stinging the cuts on his arms and wet sand digging into his back painfully, he began to hear rustling through the trees behind him. It was loud, almost frantic sounding. He could hear voices along with the sound, but his brain still wasn't really awake enough to understand what they were saying from so far away. Aang wanted desperately to spring up, to get into a fighting position and protect himself, but he couldn't. He could barely wiggle his fingers, let alone stand up and fight. He tried to, at the very least, move his head to see who or what was near him but his limbs and neck were unwilling to cooperate with his demands. Aang felt so desperately vulnerable in this position; laying out on the beach without even a shirt to protect him, too tired and weak to do anything. He didn't want to resign himself to any fate just yet, he remembered when they lost Appa and Katara insisted that they couldn't lose hope, so he considered his options. There weren't many but maybe if he-

"Aang!" He heard someone come up closer to him- no, two sets of footsteps. He forced his eyes to open just in time to see Zuko standing above him. "What the hell are you doing out here, we thought you were- Aang? Are you okay...?" Zuko leaned down over him, staring down at his form and trying to figure out what was wrong with the younger boy. 

"Calm down Zuko, he's hurt, don't pressure him too much," Suddenly, Katara was there and she looked even more concerned. "Aang, can you talk?" Aang wasn't sure of the answer to that question himself in all honesty, but he was willing to try. 

"K-ki-ind of..." His voice was quiet and low, his mouth dry and he formed the words but it seemed to take so much energy out of him. 

"Let's get him back to camp, he needs water and I think some food would do him good." Zuko's voice was much stronger than Aang's, it almost made him self conscious. Zuko bent down to pick Aang up but Katara stopped him. 

"It's fine, I got it," She smiled at Zuko and slipped her arm's gently under Aang's body, lifting him with ease. Aang looked over at Zuko with surprise; she had never made it known to him that he was this easy for her to carry but upon thinking about it she _had_ carried him out of the caves they had fought Azula in so long ago. He felt her arm brush against his scar as she carried him, as if it heard his thoughts. Aang heard Zuko start asking questions, but he was too tired to listen to what his older friend wanted to know. Katara told him off, insisting that they needed to wait until they had taken care of Aang and gotten him healed before they started asking why they had found him passed out and completely exhausted on a beach. 

The rest of the walk back to camp had been quiet. Zuko had followed behind Katara, doing his best not to overwhelm Aang with all the questions he had sitting in the back of his head. Aang fell asleep a few times as they made their way back, but Katara didn't seem to notice. She walked with purpose and strength, ensuring that he was comfortable as they went. Aang decidedly wasn't going to admit this, but it was actually kind of nice for her to hold him like this. Her flesh was cool and fresh feeling, like river water was coursing just below the surface of her skin. Her hands were gentle, and he wanted nothing more than to hold them himself but even as his strength was slowly beginning to come back he was still too tired to move his hand at all. 

Before he knew it, they were back at camp. Toph, Suki, and Sokka were sitting around the fire cooking breakfast. They looked anxious in a way Aang hadn't seen them in a long time. Sokka sat quiet and still in such an uncharacteristic way it sent a chill up Aang's spine. Suki was leaning against her boyfriend, looking equally as distraught. Toph sat farther away from the other two, her knees pulled up to her face and her blank eyes staring off into absolutely nothing, although he could tell she was lost in thought. Aang only saw them sitting like that for a moment, however, before Toph shot up from her seated position, announcing that she could sense them coming. Sokka and Suki stood up soon after, the three of them running over to where Katara held her boyfriend. 

"Calm down, he's okay," Katara said, pushing her friends back a bit to give herself and Aang some room. She made her way over to Appa and set him down on the beasts leg, letting Aang sink into the sky bison's fur. She carefully opened her water bag, drawing out the clear liquid and pressing it against a particularly nasty scrape on Aang's bicep, watching as it began to glow and his cut slowly healed. 

"He doesn't look okay to me!" Sokka retorted. "We've been looking for him all morning, where did you even find him?! What happened?!"

"I'm not sure," Katara sighed, continuing to move the water around Aang's skin, watching carefully as the cuts and bruises closed and returned to their normal color or position. "Zuko and I ended up all the way on the other side of the island, we found his passed out on the beach. He doesn't really seem ready to tell us exactly what happened, but whatever it was it definitely took a toll on him, he's exhausted. It looks like we might have to stay another night here and give him some time to heal," At those words, Aang's eyes shot open, frantic and insistent as he shook his head no. 

"N-no!!" Aang cried, ignoring his scratchy throat. "Please, w-w-we can't stay-y here any lon-longer!! We have t-t-to get to...we have to get to the S-Southern Air Temp-p-please!!" The others were silent, even Katara seemed shocked by his outburst, having dropped the water in surprise. 

"Aang, I know you're excited about this trip, but you're in no condition to fly. You couldn't even walk when we found you," Katara replied sympathetically, cautiously resuming her healing.

"Th-this isn't about the...the trip," Aang replied, sitting up as best he could despite his sore muscles. "Last night..." He paused for a moment, considering whether or not he wanted to give them all the full story. Part of him knew it would only make them worry; that letting them know about all the stupid avatar things he had been experiencing lately would stress them out practically to the point he himself was. Aang appreciated his friends, he knew he would die for anyone of them and whenever they had a problem he would always be there to listen but he felt like pushing all that on them was too much. He was the Avatar, and he was the last Air bender on the face of the Earth! That's a lot of responsibility for him to carry, pushing that onto his friends had never felt right. 

Then he considered the conversation he had with Zuko not long ago. 

He considered what Toph had taught him about facing his obstacles head on, whether they be physical or not. 

He considered how Sokka had opened up to him without question on The Day of Black Sun, telling him about his insecurities and failures.

He considered Katara, how she had been so kind and sweet to him since the moment they made eye contact. She had never let him down. 

Decidedly, there was no way around this. Maybe though, Aang was okay with that. These were his best friends in the entire world, and he knew they wouldn't let him go do this alone, whatever it was that needed him. 

So, he told them, and fortunately, they'd listened. He told them every little detail right down to the dreams he'd been having for months. He told them about waking up at such a late hour of the night. He told them about running as far and as fast as he could, trying so desperately to keep up with this spirit he seemed to see everywhere. He told them about how she looked like Katara wearing Air Nomad robes. He told them about what she said about the restless spirits at the Air Temples. Aang told them everything, right down to when Katara and Zuko had found him out on the beach. Aang had no idea how he managed to tell that whole story, and his throat didn't feel any better now, but he was glad he had.

The group was quiet for a moment once Aang had finished, trying to process the boatload of information he had just dumped on them. At some point during his story, Katara had sat down on Appa next to him, and the others had taken their seats on the floor. Sokka was holding Zuko's hand and Suki lay over Sokka's lap as she listened to Aang talking. Toph listened just as intently, Momo seated on her shoulder and messing with the ends of her headband playfully. 

"Well," Katara said, breaking the silence. She leaned over and placed her hand over Aang's. "i guess that explains why you're so beat up. You must have overexerted yourself during the run, you must have been pushing your body a lot..." She sighed, leaning forward and planting a kiss on Aang's cheek. "Thank you for telling us. Don't do that to yourself again, though, it's not healthy." Aang chuckled softly at her slightly scolding tone. 

"So do you know who these restless spirits are? The ones at the Southern Air Temple?" Sokka asked, leaning forward slightly. 

"From what I gathered," Aang informed, allowing a bit of his weight to settle on Katara. "There's one spirit that needs to be calmed at every temple. I'm not sure exactly who the spirits are, I wasn't told, but I have...I have my suspicions."

"So I guess that means we don't get to stay on this island for another night?" Suki asked, sitting up and running a hand through her hair. 

"No, I doubt we can," Zuko shook his head. "If these spirits pose as much of a threat as Aang says they might, we need to get there as soon before the solstice as we can." 

"So how do you plan on dealing with them?" Toph asked, crossing her arms. "I don't know much about spirits, but from what I do know most of them can't really be fought like people, General Old Iron and Wan Shi Tong just seem to be exceptions," Aang nodded. 

"You're right, Toph," he sighed. "I- _we_ probably can't fight them like we would a physical enemy like Ozai or someone like that. From what I gathered I'm not supposed to hurt them, though, I'm just supposed to...I don't know, calm them down?? Ask them to stop being angry??" 

"You know, I kinda figured that you would prefer a fight where you weren't supposed to kill or hurt anything," Suki chimed in, shrugging her shoulders. "Non-violence and all that,"

"Yeah, I do prefer not to hurt my opponents but I don't know what I _am_ supposed to do," Aang sighed, leaning back against Appa's fur, longing for the days when he was small enough that a grown Sky Bison's fur would swallow him whole if he leaned into it like this. "I'm not sure what to expect..."

"Well, whatever it is we find there, no matter what it is," Katara placed a hand on Aang's shoulder, not only as a lover but as his best friend. "We'll be there to help you deal with it."

"I second that!" Toph grinned. "You might be fun to push around but I still won't let whatever it is that we find hurt you too much, that's my job,"

"You won't be able to do this alone," Zuko nodded. "Even if we're just there for moral support, we still aren't gonna let you venture off to fight some unknown forces on without us there to help you get through it," Sokka and Suki nodded. Aang grinned at his friends, sitting up off of Appa and standing up shakily. For a moment, he was worried he would fall, but Katara stood up and steadied him. 

"So, does that mean we're leaving tonight?" Aang asked slowly, most of his attention still on keeping his legs from giving out on him. 

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Sokka grinned, standing up. "Whatever it is that we find, we're gonna face it together."


	9. 9-Hiraeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang is scared, but he doesn't have much of a choice now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not me finally figuring out how to add an actual horizontal line to separate scenes after 9 chapters-
> 
> Anyways, I'm sorry this ended on a cliff hanger, I was gonna do the next few scenes here but I'm so tired :///

It took a bit of convincing, but Katara had said Aang was healed enough to help them pack up, which took much less time than it had taken to unpack when they had first crash-landed on the island two days before. They had everything packed onto Appa in around thirty minutes, but the group still felt tense. Aang had gone on auto pilot not long after they started packing, although he spent most of the time seated folding up tents since he was still having trouble walking. He was the only one who didn't notice the silence that enveloped the group as they finished collecting their things and packing them onto Appa. 

"Hey," Aang jumped as his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden noise. He looked over to where he'd heard it, only to find Katara sitting next to him calmly. She looked worried, her soft blue eyes overshadowed by her knotted brow. "are you doing okay?" 

Aang was quiet for a moment before he replied. The words seemed to exit his mouth on their own, flowing from his lips in an automated response to the question he'd been asked so many times. The same answer he'd given Gyatso over a hundred years ago when he asked. The same answer he'd given Katara and Sokka and Zuko so many times before. 

"I'm fine, just a little tired." Aang forced his face to curve upwards into a smile. He knew Toph wasn't far away from the two of them and he could practically see her face when she heard him lie, but she didn't say anything. 

"How do your legs feel?" Katara asked softly, placing a hand on her boyfriends arm endearingly. She had helped him get out of his pajamas and into his regular clothes a few hours earlier when he had mentioned how cold it was at night, but his flesh was still cool to the touch. 

"Fine, a little wobbly though," Aang replied, leaning into her touch. "you wouldn't mind running another healing session on me while we fly, would you?" Aang was a bit anxious about asking her, but decidedly allowing her to focus on his physical needs would distract her from the fact that he was quite clearly terrified of this new threat to world peace he would have to face soon.

Aang didn't enjoy holding things back from Katara. He didn't enjoy holding things back from anyone, but especially not his friends. This was different, though. Last time he had openly aired his grievances regarding dealing with a threat like this was before Sozin's comet. He had been so sure they would be sympathetic towards his need to honor his people and his philosophy, but they had all said, even Katara, that he would have to kill Ozai. It wasn't just that he didn't like their answer, though, when he brought it up he had seen a twinge of fear flash across all of his friends faces. Aang was the _Avatar_ , in situations like this he was the worlds only hope. Thankfully, things turned out okay with Ozai and he didn't have to kill him but that might not be the case here. What about General Old Iron? Aang accidentally forced him back into the spirit world, arguably killing him. Would Aang have to take another life soon? Would he be strong enough to? 

"Yeah, of course Sweetie, I'll get started on that once we're on Appa." Katara leaned over and planted a kiss on Aang's cheek. He sighed quietly, reaching out for her hand instinctively. 

"I love you," Aang whispered, his arms snaking their around her torso. 

"I love you too..." There was a silence as they sat like that, holding each other as though if the other were a lifeline. Even so, after a moment, Katara pulled away. Aang whined in complaint, suddenly feeling much colder without her to keep him warm. "You're scared, aren't you?"

"Wh-what?" Aang suddenly felt his heart rate pick up, anxiety filling him. Katara wasn't supposed to know that he was worried about this fight, that would just make _her_ even more anxious! "Where'd you get that idea...?"

"I just know, Aang," She sighed, running two gentle fingers along his arrow. "it's okay to be scared about this, you know that right? It's scary, I'm worried about it and I don't even have to face it myself!" Aang suddenly felt tears sting his eyes, blurring his vision. He tucked his face into her shirt so it wouldn't be obvious he was crying but he knew Katara was a water-bender; she would know. 

"I'm so worried about you guys getting hurt..." his voice was barely above a whisper, it's tone shaky and scared like a child after a nightmare. "I should have realized this sooner, I should have come alone I-"

"Aang, you can't keep tormenting yourself with what you think you should have done," Katara said softly, rubbing small circles into his back. "All you-all _we_ can do at this point is get to the Southern Air Temple and figure out what it is that we're facing here," she stroked the back of his head. Katara felt her own eyes begin to burn with tears. Aang was still so young-so was she. So was their whole group! The oldest among them was Zuko and he had only turned eighteen a few months ago. They were older now than they were when they ended the war, but they were still so young. Katara always noticed how Zuko's Firelord garments, while he was beginning to grow into them were still ever so slightly too big for him, the sleeves falling just past where they should and the shoulder plates looking awkward and too wide upon his slender frame. She noticed how the Avatar State still made Aang so, so tired; his body, although it had grown since the first time she had watched the spirit of the previous Avatar's take him over, still looked so small as he fell out of it, the power bigger than his physical form might ever be. Katara hadn't failed to notice her own changes and short comings either; Katara may have been a strong, powerful Water bender and her healing skills were quickly developing, but she still missed her mother like a child would. She still expected to turn around and see her every time she came back to the Southern Water Tribe, waiting for her outside their house. 

"You sound a lot like Gyatso, you know that?" Katara didn't process Aang's voice at first, it took her a moment before she really understood what he had said, not just in a literal sense but the actual gravity of those words. 

"Really...?" She replied after a moment, leaning forward and resting her chin on his head. 

"Yeah..." Aang chuckled quietly. "He used to talk about not living in the past a lot..."

"He sounds like a smart man...You must miss him." Katara hugged Aang a little bit tighter. She hated watching him miss his people, she always felt so helpless watching him grieve. 

"I do..." Aang sighed quietly, finding the strength to push himself up off of her chest to look her in the eyes. "I'm glad I have you now, though. I'm not sure what I ever would have done without you here this whole time," Katara smiled. 

"I'm not sure what I would have done without you either..." She leaned forward a bit, her radiant blue eyes still locked in contact with his stormy gray ones. Her hand drifted up to his face, resting on his jawline. The bone structure of his face had changes so much since when she had first met him; his round cheeks began hollowing out, giving way to high cheek bones and a chiseled jawline. His skin had darkened from their traveled, although it wasn't really noticeable if you didn't know where to look. His eyes were gentle and soft, but angular in a way she had never seen in anyone else. His lips...

"Hey!! Katara, Aang!! We gotta get going, quit being in love and get on the bison!!" Sokka's voice rang out from Appa's head, and the two realized they were sitting in the middle of what used to be their campsite alone; everyone else was already on Appa, packed and ready to leave. The two separated quickly, a deep red flushing across both of their faced as Katara helped Aang stand up . Zuko and Suki snickered knowingly at them as they took their places on Appa's saddle, before Sokka invited Appa to take off into the sky. 

* * *

Aang had spent most of the flight on Appa's saddle, letting Katara work on his legs. She had worked out all of the bruises peppering his skin, then moving onto the tension in his muscles. Pain relief wasn't her specialty, but she did what she could and after around an hour Aang said he felt better; they could only hope he would still feel okay when they arrived at the Southern Air Temple. 

They were near the end of their journey, and Aang could feel it. As they neared the Patola Mountain Range, a headache sneaked up on Aang, making its way up from his spine and into his skull, pounding in a way that almost always meant spiritual activity. Katara did her best to help him but there wasn't much she could do for him. 

"Are you ready...?" Zuko asked suddenly. The whole group had been silent for the past thirty minutes, anxiety building among all of them as they neared the temple. 

"As ready as I'll ever be..." Aang shrugged, running a hand over his head. "Are you guys ready?" They all nodded, but Aang could tell it was unsure. 

"Whatever happens," Suki placed a hand on Aang's knee smiling at him gently. "we'll be right there to make sure you're okay."

"Suki's right," Katara nodded leaning into Aang's shoulder. "We're gonna be here the whole time."

"That's what I'm worried about..." Aang sighed, biting at his nails. "I don't know what to expect here-I can't have you guys getting hurt."

"Aang, we'll be fine," Zuko crossed his arms, nodding reassuringly at his friend. 

"But what if y-" Aang was interrupted by an unholy screeching sound and a sudden jolt to the right. The group screamed, clutching the sides on the saddle. Appa landed awkwardly on one of the bigger mountains, leaving just enough room for everyone to get off. 

When Aang looked over to the Temple-to his home, or what once was his home-he was horrified. The temple itself seemed mostly unharmed apart from the damage that had already been there but around the base of the mountain and winding its way up the towers of the building was a deep, obsidian toned mass. It had four neon yellow eyes on each side, along with a pair of winding horns that exploded out of it's head. The creature had two limbs, wrapped around the spire of the largest tower. Rather than legs, its torso dissolved into a singular point, almost like a snakes tail. 

It's eyes met Aang's after a moment, and it stopped screaming. Aang pulled out his glider and took off; whispering a silent prayer, not for himself, but for his family. 

They would need it more than him. 


	10. 10-A Sense of Familiarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come for Aang to protect his friends and his home; to stop what could be a world threatening danger before it starts, but Aang is surprised by what hides beneath the surface of what he thinks is his enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter fucking sucks I'm so sorry this whole plot was a terrible idea I hate this

_In..._

_Out..._

Aang's breathing was firm, a pattern he held close to his chest. His glider twisted and turned through the mountains, dipping high and low as he got closer and closer to the spirit invading his home. The thing was watching him intently, and it seemed to grow more agitated as he came closer. Aang's grip on the handles of his glider remained unyielding, even as the spirit began to attack. It's body twisted around the tower, now standing in front of the building. Aang dodged each attack as best he could, swerving around it's hits and directing them back; but after a moment, he realized something about the spirit. 

These weren't normal spirit attacks. Not like the kind he had faced when Hei Bai threatened to destroy Senlin village, or like when he fought General Old Iron in Crane Fish town. No, this was far more different. The spirit moved swiftly, gliding through the air with ease. It's arms moved in a way he hadn't seen spirits work before...

It was _A_ _ir bending_. 

Aang had been distracted, just for a moment, as that thought hit him. The spirit took the opportunity to shoot a blast of air in his direction, forcing Aang to the ground. He felt his back hit the stone of the court yard and he yelled out in pain; he could almost hear his friends screaming from their mountain top position-but they were just far enough that the ringing in his ears eliminated their voices before he could truly be sure it was them. The spirit had was seemingly bending the air around itself unconsciously, almost the same way Aang often found himself doing when he was in the Avatar state only the spirit's sphere of wind was so much bigger than Aang's ever had been.

Katara, standing from the mountain that suddenly felt much farther away from the temple than it was, _was_ screaming. She screamed and cried as she watched Aang's body fall from the sky and hit the ground, memories of his worst falls invading her mind. Sokka held her back from jumping off the cliff towards her lover, they both knew she wouldn't have enough water to carry herself all the way over there to help him- to save him and protect him like she wanted. Katara fought against he brothers arms but to no avail, his grip on her torso remained firm, keeping her from getting any closer to the edge of the cliff. Katara could see out of the corner of her eye that her brother was crying too, but he was much more quiet about it. 

"What to you want? Why are you so angry?" Aang had to scream over the sound of wind around him. He held onto a piece of the mountain with one hand, desperately trying to pull himself back up to stand despite the way the palms of his hands screamed at the rock dug into them. The spirit didn't seem to be interested in bargaining, because upon hearing Aang speak, the strength of its wind seemed to pick up and it screamed once more. Aang felt his eyes prickle with tears as his fingers began to lose their grip and his body began sliding backwards to the edge of the cliff. Aang opened his mouth slowly, his voice no longer the strong commanding voice of the Avatar but the voice of a scared teenage boy. Aang's mouth was dry as the wind pummeled him backwards and if he really was crying he couldn't tell, because the force of the air surrounding him was whipping away any tears that may have been there. 

" _Please..._ " he spoke in the language of the Air Nomads, as he often did when he was scared. His voice shook as he spoke, mostly to himself. " _stop it.._."

And the spirit slowed. 

It came closer, the wind dying down suddenly, and Aang took the opportunity to hoist himself back up onto solid ground. His hands shook as he held a defensive position, his glider in front of him, prepared to do whatever he had to in order to ensure the safety of the temple. The spirit stood in front of Aang, staring down at him with an emotion that Aang couldn't place. It had no mouth, but it began to speak, which was odd on its own but when Aang processed what it had said he realized something. 

" ** _Who are you?_** " the spirit's voice boomed with that of a thousand over people-but the thing that stuck out to Aang is that it spoke not the standardized Earth Kingdom Language most people and spirits spoke, no, the spirit was speaking the Air Nomad Language. 

" _I-I am Aang_ ," He replied back in his mother tongue, the words flowing from his mouth as if he had never stopped speaking them. 

"What...what is he doing...?" Toph mumbled as she listened to the scene unfold. Her seismic sense wasn't strong enough to see properly, and the only evidence of the spirit being there from her perspective was the wind that pushed against her bangs. 

"I think he's trying to talk to it...?" Sokka said, shrugging. "I can't hear them very well but it doesn't sound like Earth Kingdom speak..."

"That's because it's not..." Katara said. Her voice was barely above a whisper, still recovering from the crying that had only stopped moments before. "he's speaking Air Nomad Language..."

"How do you know...?" Suki asked quietly. She was quite confused by this whole scene; she had never seen a spirit in real life before. 

"I've heard him speak it before, a few times actually...I'm not sure why he's talking to the spirit in it though," Katara replied, shrugging her brothers arms off from around her body. 

"What's he saying?" Zuko asked, staring intently at the temple. 

"I'm not sure," Katara shrugged, her voice hiccuping a bit as she spoke. "I can't hear them very well, and even if I could he hasn't taught me any," She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "he seems like he'll be okay though..." 

" _Who are you?_ " Aang asked in return, lowering his staff just slightly. He hadn't had a conversation with anyone in _Amdo_ in so long. The way the words felt on his tongue felt so nostalgic, the way certain words were punctuated with a whistle, it was different in comparison to how he spoke during his prayers or when he recited old chants. That language was always so formal and strict, keeping a particular rhythm. This, though, he missed. The pronunciation was just slightly different, the way the words flowed felt so much more natural as he spoke it. 

" _I am Zangnan_ ," Aang felt the Air leave his lungs at those words. There was no possible way that this dark spirit could possibly be Zangnan; the protector of the Southern Air Temple, the spirit of the Patola Mountain Range. No, that spirit was kind, it took the appearance of a Sky Bison, as did every all the other Spirits that resided and guarded the temples. " _and you are trespassing on my temple. You are here to hurt my people._ " The spirit shot another gust of wind at Aang, pushing him against the wall of one of the temples. 

" _N-no!! I'm not, I'm here to help you!!_ " Aang's voice was frantic, he did his best to bend the air away from himself so he could speak easily but it wasn't working very well. His throat was still screaming at him as the wind invaded it and his voice could barely fight over the air. " _I'm the Avatar, I'm the last Air Nomad! Why else would I know our language?_ " This seemed to make the spirit even angrier. 

" _No!!_ " the creatures voice boomed with the anger of a thousand other voices as it continued it's attack. " _There are many Air Nomads left, you are here to hurt them!!_ "

Aang felt tears stream down his face. He tried to reply, but he couldn't speak-he couldn't breathe. Seemingly, he had no choice in his next actions. Aang closed his eyes, concentrating on pulling the spirit of all the Avatars that came before him into fruition. 

_in..._

_out..._

Aang's eyes opened suddenly, a shade of bright white shading over his vision. A surge of power ran up from his spine, fueling his being with energy that was both so familiar and so foreign. Aang let his past lives take over his body, as he usually did when he went into the Avatar state; watching from an almost distant view as his body rose from the ground, returning the attacks of the spirit with just as much passion. Aang only hoped that he would be able to stop himself before he hurt the spirit too much. 

As Aang's arms tossed rock after rock at the spirit, calculated movements rendering the wind storm the spirit was creating virtually useless, it screeched, suddenly shrinking in size. Aang's heart rate quickened as he desperately tried to stop himself from killing the spirit, if that was even possible. 

Aang felt himself come back into his body at the last second, and then suddenly he was falling. Aang pulled a platform of stone off of one of the nearby mountains, landing on it just as he came face to face with the weakened spirit. Aang came closer to Zangnan, a twinge of guilt erupting from his chest. He took a deep breath, placing his hand in between the spirit's horns. Zangnan made no attempt to fight back any more, simply allowing Aang to do what he wished without fighting back; assuming the worst. 

Aang felt the same surge of energy fill his body, filling his being with a stream of spiritual energy and power. The energy that coursed through his veins began to spill out of his palm, following the path of his bright white arrows into the spirit. 

_"Go in peace."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry this chapter sucks but here's a quick explanation on my language headcanons dnjsbfd
> 
> Okay so basically the Air Nomads spoke their own language, each temple having a slightly different dialect but generally understood by most of the other Air Nomads. I decided to call the Air Nomad Language Amdo which is an actual Tibetan Language spoken in Eastern Tibet and parts of China I think?? I also added the bit about the whistling as a reference to the Whistle-Speak language headcanons that some other authors on here have for the Air Nomads. 
> 
> The concept for this whole story was that certain locations have spirit guardians (as we saw in The Painted Lady) so each of the temples (and probably the other nations too) had one right?? And like the spirits were upset about the genocide and like,,, yeah idk this was stupid I'm sorry guys :(  
> The next chapter is gonna explain further why Zangnan turned into a dark spirit but for now this is kind of all you guys get dfhfhjfdh
> 
> Again, I'm so sorry about how shitty this chapter is, I know the plot sucks but I'm gonna try to finish this story one way or another. If you'd like something that isn't garbage maybe go read my one shots?? I have a few more I'm working on at the moment hh


	11. 11-Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang searches for answers and finds so much more. (And this time, he gets to say good bye).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote like,, most of this chapter and then my computer fucked up and didn't save so,, that sucks ig sorry this is late

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Aang brought his friends over from their position on the mountain top, settling Appa down in the courtyard before making his way back over to his friends. Katara spent about an hour healing what she could of the bruise that sat on the back of his head, trying to ease his pain at the very least. Aang didn't mention that he still had a pounding headache. Zuko had cooked dinner that night, a simple vegetable Fried Rice. Aang wasn't sure where he had learned the Earth Kingdom commoners recipe, but he decided not to mention it. Aang forced himself to eat, his eyes refusing to stay open enough for him to be considered clearly awake. Katara sat by his side, softly encouraging him to eat. Aang managed about three bites before the sun went down and his food went cold. Their group was mostly silent as they sat around the dying embers of the fire that had cooked their food, but Sokka, per usual, was the one who broke the silence. 

"So..." Sokka elongated his vowels in a peculiar way that made Aang's tired mind ache even more. "what happened out there?"

"Sokka," Katara placed a protective hand on Aang's shoulder, scowling at her brother in a way not uncommon to find. "I don't think Aang is ready to-"

"It's fine, Katara," Aang's words were slurred just a bit as he spoke, but he managed to get the words out. Aang took a deep breath, grounding himself as best he could in his tired state before turning back to Sokka and the others. "that spirit...that was Zangnan," Aang left it at that, assuming it would be enough of an explanation but apparently he was wrong. 

"...who...?" Suki asked, tilting her head just slightly. 

"The spirit guardian of the Southern Air Temple...?" Aang furrowed his brow glancing between his friends who all still looked confused. "Every nation has a spirit guardian, and most nations have them for individual locations, the Air Nomads just happened to have one guardian at each temple...do you guys really not know this...?" They all shook their heads. "Man...a lot has changed in the last hundred years, huh? This was common knowledge when I was a kid,"

"Why haven't we heard about this?" Katara asked. 

"Maybe because of the war? People didn't have much time to pay attention to the spirits and a lot of the spirits couldn't really access the places they guarded because of the war," Aang shrugged. "Like the Painted Lady."

"Also," Zuko added, leaning forward ever so slightly. "You were speaking a different language with the spirit, what were you saying? What language was it?" 

"Oh, that was Amdo," Aang replied. "the dialect of Air Nomad Language that was usually spoken at the Southern Temple."

"Wait, so if that spirit was supposed to be a _guardian_ of the Air Nomads," Sokka asked, confusion clear on his face. "why was it attacking you?" Aang shrugged in response. 

"I'm not sure," the weight of Aang's words sunk it slowly. "I think I know where I need to go to find out, though."

* * *

The sky had long since turned dark and the subtle sounds of the animals living around the temple settling in for the night helped ease Aang's headache. The temple itself wasn't what he remembered- Spirits, the whole world was different than it had been as he grew up- but the ambiance of the temple at night had remained almost exactly the same. 

Aang sighed quietly as he took the familiar path; past the statue of Yangchen, up the stairs in the meditation room by Monk Tashi's office, across the balcony, then open your glider and fly out to the third mountain past the one with the Moon Peach tree. Aang's legs, even after a hundred years, had the trail memorized. He paid little mind to where he was going, knowing full well that he would make it there without question. Aang's favorite meditation spot was up on the flat top of that one mountain. Underneath the Willow Tree sat two flat rocks, smooth and cool. As Aang arrived on the mountain, he sat down on the smaller rock, the one closer to the tree. It was actually a bit smaller than he remembered, but he supposed he had grown some since he had last been here. _'It's a miracle that the Fire Nation soldiers hadn't touched this place'_ Aang thought to himself, his fingers gracing the bark of the tree. Slowly, his hand made its way down to the side of the rock he was sitting on, right underneath where it tilted upwards just slightly, and he traced the place where he had etched his name into as a child. Aang wasn't sure how he managed this feat, but never the less, it was certainly there. The last character of his name was a bit wonky, but Aang knew it was his and he knew he had wrote it, ensuring that this rock would be remembered as _his_ rock even a hundred years later. His hand then made its way over to the larger rock. It had no carvings, but as he brushed the leaves off its surface it still had the stain of a fallen fruit pie from the one time Aang had played a prank on his own mentor. 

Gyatso and him used to meditate here together. This is the place where Aang learned to empty his mind, and it still looked almost exactly the same. 

Aang took a deep breath, inhaling the faint smell of the ocean not far away, the smell of the flowers not far from where he sat. His hands settled in his lap, his shoulders loosened, and he let his mind do the rest. 

_In...._

_Out..._

A familiar chill ran up Aang's back, followed by silence, then the sound of running water. Aang waited a moment before he opened his eyes, but when he did he was greeted by a blinding light. He groaned, shielding his face and allowing his eyes to adjust to the sudden transition. Eventually, he was able to move his arm, and he was greeted by a waterfall. It didn't look too dissimilar to some of the waterfalls that Katara and him had stopped at in the early staged of their adventures together. the only difference being that the water seemed a much darker blue. In fact, every other color around him seemed to be a much more saturated version of its normal form. It made his normally brightly colored robes look muted and soft. 

"I've been waiting for you, Aang."

Aang felt the breath leave his lungs as he heard that voice. It came from behind him, and although he didn't have access to his seismic sense and thus couldn't tell, it sounded about six feet away from where he stood facing the water. The grass beneath his bare feet almost seemed to urge him to turn around and so he did, if only to fuel a childish desire. Aang was sure that he wouldn't actually find-

Gyatso. 

The old man sat there in all his glory, a pot of tea next to him that he calmly poured into a cup. He looked exactly as he had the day Aang left- his white mustache still perched lazily over his upper lip, his mastery tattoos ever so slightly faded, his smile still ever present. 

Aang felt his eyes fill with tears, and as much as he wanted to he couldn't move, he was stuck standing there. Suddenly, his knees collapsed on him, forcing his body to plummet to the ground. Sobs wrecked his body, even as he tried to cover his mouth. Aang had never felt like this before, but the shock of seeing his mentor, the man who was like a father to him again, hearing his voice and seeing his kind smile was too much for him to take. Before he knew it, though, he was enveloped in a hug. The smell of Gyatso's robes remained the same, even after all these years; the scent of jasmine incense and mochi flour. 

"I'm...I'm so sorry..." Aang barely managed to choke those words out, but Gyatso held him firmly as he always had to ease his students pain. 

"It's okay, Aang," Gyatso said, his voice soothing and calm. "you have nothing to apologize for."

"Nothing to apologize for?!" Aang lifted his head, tears still streaming down his face. He was sure he looked like a child, but he didn't care at this point. He had come too far to worry about his master seeing him cry as hard as this. "I left you all to die! Thousands of people, Air Nomad or otherwise are dead and the blood is on my hands," Aang's voice was loud, but he slurred his words just slightly, hiccups ringing out as he spoke. 

"Aang," Gyatso sighed, placing a hand on the young avatar's shoulder. "You were a child when you ran away. You still are a child. You couldn't have known what would transpire after you were gone, and even if you had been there there wasn't anything you could have done. You cannot continue to blame yourself for mistakes you made unwittingly, especially those for which I'm sure you have redeemed yourself for." Aang gave a sarcastic chuckle, pulling his knees up to his chest. 

"I wouldn't say that anything I've done in the past two years has redeemed me," Gyatso pulled his tea pot over, pouring Aang a cup. 

"I'm not sure what has happened to you over the course of the adventures you seem to have had in the time since you ran away," He placed a loving hand on Aang's head. "but I can tell that you have grown into an incredible young man." Aang smiled a bit, reaching over for the cup of tea. He took a sip, a wave of nostalgia washing over him as he did so. 

"This is your special blend..." Aang said softly, and Gyatso nodded. "I think Iroh would like this..." Aang paused before he remembered that Gyatso probably didn't know who that was. "Wait, you do know what happened over the past few years, don't you?" Gyatso shook his head. 

"Unfortunately because of the specifics of my spirits passing on, I did not," the older man explained, taking a sip of his own cup of tea. "I wouldn't mind a story, though, if you're willing?" Aang finally managed to smile in the same lopsided grin he had kept since childhood. 

"I've got some time before I have to head back, my friends are all sleeping anyways."

And so a story is what they shared. Many stories, in fact. 

Aang began with how he became trapped in the ice burg, detailing how he met Katara and Sokka. Not long after he started the story he switched over to Amdo (after all, Amdo was a language made to tell stories with), continuing on with their adventures throughout the Earth Kingdom, water Tribes, and Fire Nation. Gyatso listened intently, laughing at the funny stories and sighing quietly along with Aang at the sad parts. The old monk seemed particularly distraught about Aang getting shot with lightening and going into a coma, even more so when Aang tried to ease his concerns by proving it had healed by showing of the giant angry scar the cut through his tattoos. 

"And then I just sort of...pulled his bending out of him...and it worked," Aang recalled the final moments of the Hundred Year War. "After that I met back up with my friends and we got to work setting the world back to its former position of balance as much as we could. Zuko was crowned Fire Lord, we started getting rid of some of the colonies and...uh...Katara and I sort of..." Gyatso snorted. 

"Honestly I was expecting you two to get together much sooner than that," Aang blushed as his old master laughed at him. 

"I know it isn't very traditional for an Air Nomad to be in a committed relationship with one person like this but..." Aang scratched the back of his neck, trying not to look too obviously in love as he thought of his girlfriend. "I...really like her..." 

"I can tell," Gyatso replied with a smile. "I'm glad you two found each other. She sounds like a lovely girl, and you speak of her very highly,"

"I wish I got to spend more time with her though," Aang sighed. "Being a world leader is...really hard," he grimaced. "I'm always needed for something, it feels like I can never make anyone actually happy, no matter what I do,"

"I know the feeling," Gyatso nodded. "You were most likely too young to remember, but before I was put in charge of your training completely, I was a representative of the Southern Temple and I often had to travel to sit in on meetings all over the world. It's hard being a leader, but I'm sure you're doing a great job," Aang smiled.

"I hope I am..." There was a pause before he turned to face his master completely, a more serious look on his face. "I came here for a reason though. It's been incredible getting to see you again, but I need answers," Gyatso nodded. 

"I understand. You must want to know about Zangnan, correct?" Aang nodded, and Gyatso paused for a moment to think. "After the Fire Nation destroyed the four temples, the spiritual balance of the world was corrupted. The spirits of the Air Nomads who were killed somehow unified with the spirit guardians of their respective temples. The negative energy from the emotions and pain of those passing on turned Zangnan into a dark spirit. Our spirits were trapped there for 100 years, but by freeing Zangnan from his tether to this plane, you freed our spirits. The others seemed to have gone back to the land of the dead, or perhaps reincarnated already, but I was sent here," Gyatso paused, a smile suddenly appearing on his face. "I suspect that has something to do with you needing my guidance,"

"That's why the other times I tried to communicate with you it din't work!!" Aang suddenly blurted out. "I tried talk to you so many times during the war but it never worked...I tried a few days ago actually- it must have been because you were still trapped with Zangnan!" Gyatso nodded. 

"I suspect as much," Gyatso stood up, which confused Aang, but he followed suit anyways. "Aang," Gyatso placed a hand on the younger boys shoulder. "it's time for you to go back now,"

"Wh-what?!" Aang shook his head. "I...I just found you again, I don't want to go yet!"

"Aang, the two of us exist on separate planes of existence now. You cannot stay here forever, and I cannot come with you," Gyatso pulled his pupil into a hug, holding him close to his chest protectively. "I will watch over you now, and if you ever need me again, I'm sure our paths will cross,"

"I...I'm gonna miss you," Aang replied quietly. 

"I will miss you too, Aang," Gyatso patted the younger boy on the back. " _Goodbye, my lotus flower. Until we meet again,_ " Aang smiled at the traditional Amdo valediction.

" _Until we meet again._ "

Aang blinked, and suddenly he was back on the mountain. It was daytime now, seemingly well past. He looked around, making eye contact with Katara, who was sitting next to him on Gyatso's rock.

"Hey," she said softly, leaning forward and giving him a kiss on the forehead. "You were in the spirit world for a while, we couldn't find you this morning so we went looking and...I thought I'd stay with you and wait until you woke up," she smiled at him, and Aang smiled back. 

"I'm glad you stayed," he replied. "I would have been lonely,"

"How was your trip?" Katara asked, helping him stand up and grab his glider. She positioned herself next to him so they could fly together. 

"it was...really great. I'll tell you about it when we find the others," and with that, Aang bended them off the ground and into the sky, feeling a bit lighter than he had in a long, long while. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so self indulgent lmaoo. There's a lot of symbolism and important themes here but also just,,, dad gyatso is important to me yk  
> Btw, if yall are interested i have another aang/gyatso reunion piece that's been swimming in the back of my head for a while, I could post it as a oneshot if y'all want


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